Risk factors for dengue virus infection in rural Amazonia: Population-based cross-sectional surveys

A comparison of dengue virus (DENV) antibody levels in paired serum samples collected from predominantly DENV-naive residents in an agricultural settlement in Brazilian Amazonia (baseline seroprevalence, 18.3%) showed a seroconversion rate of 3.67 episodes/100 person-years at risk during 12 months of follow-up. Multivariate analysis identified male sex, poverty, and migration from extra-Amazonian states as significant predictors of baseline DENY seropositivity, whereas male sex, a history of clinical diagnosis of dengue fever, and travel to an urban area predicted subsequent seroconversion. The laboratory surveillance of acute febrile illnesses implemented at the study site and in a nearby town between 2004 and 2006 confirmed 11. DENV infections among 102 episodes studied with DENV IgM detection, reverse transcriptase-polymerise chain reaction, and virus isolation; DENV-3 was isolated. Because DENV exposure is associated with migration or travel, personal protection measures when visiting high-risk urban areas may reduce the incidence of DENV infection in this rural population.

Texture analysis based on maximum contrast walker

Recently, the deterministic tourist walk has emerged as a novel approach for texture analysis. This method employs a traveler visiting image pixels using a deterministic walk rule. Resulting trajectories provide clues about pixel interaction in the image that can be used for image classification and identification tasks. This paper proposes a new walk rule for the tourist which is based on contrast direction of a neighborhood. The yielded results using this approach are comparable with those from traditional texture analysis methods in the classification of a set of Brodatz textures and their rotated versions, thus confirming the potential of the method as a feasible texture analysis methodology. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Childbirth self-efficacy inventory in Tanzania : a pilot study

Background. To give birth can be a stressful experience and women cope with thisstress in many different ways and have different personal outcomes. Self-efficacy orconfidence in ability to cope with labour can be considered as an important factoraffecting pregnant women’s motivation of normal childbirth and their interpretation ofthe childbirth event.The aim. The purpose of this study was to test the Chinese short form of theinstrument Childbirth self-efficacy instrument (CBSEI) in Tanzania, that measurepregnant women’s self-confidence and coping abilities during childbirth.Method. The Chinese short form of the CBSEI was used to pilot test the pregnantwomen’s confidence of childbirth to see if the questions were understood in theTanzanian culture. Besides this instrument socio-demographic data was collectedtogether with two open questions asking about attitudes and experiences of childbirth.The instrument was translated into Kiswahili. A sample of 60 pregnant women whowere visiting antenatal clinic (ANC) regularly were asked to participate and with helpfrom midwifes at two ANC places the questionnaires were filled out.Result. The result shows that the validity and reliability of the two subscales OE-16and EE-16 were established. The internal consistency reliability of the two subscaleswere high, suggesting that each of the subscale mean score provides a good overviewof self- reported belief in coping ability for childbirth.The results further show that the instrument, CBSEI in this pilot study is not able toidentify women who need extra support during childbirth.Conclusion. The reliability and validity of information presented in this pilot studysupport the use of the Chinese short form of the CBSEI as a research instrument in theTanzania culture. Further studies are recommended to get a wider understandingabout women’s coping abilities in a culture like Tanzania.

Produktion av marknadsförings- och korrespondensmaterial för DUCIS

The report describes the production of graphic correspondence and marketing material for DUCIS(Dalarna University Centre for Irish Studies).A logotype symbol is created on the basis of an element from the Celtic art, and a graphic material thatharmonies with this ideal of style is built around the symbol. A unique visiting card, correspondence cardand letterhead is produced to strengthen the identity of DUCIS outwards.The work proceeds with an international education folder which is an important element in the marketingwork for the MA-education which starts in the autumn of 2003. Two posters, one for the opening ofDUCIS in may 2003 and one for a conference in 2004, are produced. Finally, a redesign of the book coverfor NIS, Nordic Irish Studies, is carried out.The report describes the working process consisting of meetings, practical work and other elementswithin the process. The conclusion is that the work has been quite successful and that this, to a largeextent, depended on an engaged and supporting commissioner. The commissioner also is very satisfi edwith the results.The in-depth studies of the project is about the art and design of the Celtic culture throughout history.The text gives an account for the history and expressions of Celtic art from its birth, 2800 years ago, untilits death in 13th century Ireland and Scotland. Special attention is payed to the golden age of ChristianCeltic art on the british islands, the era from which the pattern of the DUCIS logotype originates.

Grafisk profilering och identitetsskapande

This degree project has been done in parallel to the advertising agency Hera in Uppsala, and containsthe creating of a logotype and graphic profile for Aircall, a new big chain of shops dealing with telecommunication.Aircall was found 1 February 2004, when three smaller companies became one. Thisnew company were in need of a common brand and a uniform profile. The created graphic profile hasbeen applied to visiting cards, letterhead, envelopes, letter cards, bags, cars and advertisement. Thegraphic profile has also been used when designing the shop interior end exterior. Research has beendone on competitors graphic profiles and advertisement. The project also contains a deepening in corporateidentity.

Besökshundens påverkan på arbetssituationen inom den särskilda omsorgen

This essay is about dogs that visit is used, whitin care of elderly. The dogs found caretakers once a week and one hour at a time. The focus has been placed on the dogs that go to the municipality's special accommodation and the research was done in a medium-sized municipality in Sweden. The focus of the narrowing of the work was done to the work situation for care staff to assess the impact of the visits the dogs presence. It was distributed questionnaires answered by care staff in which it concluded their visit to the dog's presence felt and how it impacted the situation. There has been much previous research done on how dogs affect the elderly in care. This has been done to see if the care staff perceive the same thing, and in turn experience any possible help of visiting dogs. What emerged in this study is that most are in favor of visits dog and they're older. The majority of respondents agreed that their work situation has become neither better nor worse then visit the dogs started to meet caretakers. This may be due to visit the dog is not enough time on site at each visit. Even the fact that care staff are not practicing with the caretakers memory to get them to remain in the state of mind that research shows that the older gets in. These can have an impact on how care staff perceive a possible means in visits of the dog.

A Consumer Surplus Estimate of Peace & Love festival in Borlänge : A Travel Cost Approach

This thesis uses zonal travel cost method (ZTCM) to estimate consumer surplus of Peace & Love festival in Borlänge, Sweden. The study defines counties as zones of origin of the visitors. Visiting rates from each zone are estimated based on survey data. The study is novel due to the fact that mostly TCM has been applied in the environmental and recreational sector, not for short term events, like P&L festival. The analysis shows that travel cost has a significantly negative effect on visiting rate as expected. Even though income has previously shown to be significant in similar studies, it turns out to be insignificant in this study. A point estimate for the total consumer surplus of P&L festival is 35.6 million Swedish kronor. However, this point estimate is associated with high uncertainty since a 95 % confidence interval for it is (17.9, 53.2). It is also important to note that the estimated value only represents one part of the total economic value, the other values of the festival's totaleconomic value have not been estimated in this thesis.

New Meanings to Old Rituals : The Emergence of Mourning Rituals in Shiʿite Islam

This paper will discuss the emergence of Shiʿite mourning rituals around the grave of Husayn b. ʿAli. After the killing of Husayn at Karbala’ in 61/680, a number of men in Kufa feel deep regret for their neglect to come to the help of the grand­son of the Prophet. They gather and discuss how they can best make penitence for this crime. Eventually, they decide to take to arms and go against the Umayyad army – to kill those that killed Husayn, or be killed them­selves in the attempt to find revenge for him. Thus, they are called the Penitents (Ar. Tawwābūn). On their way to the battlefield they stop at Husayn’s tomb at Karbala’, dedicat­ing themselves to remorseful prayer, crying and wailing over the fate of Husayn and their own sin. When the Penitents perform certain ritual acts, such as weeping and wailing over the death of Husayn, visiting his grave, asking for God’s mercy upon him on the Day of Judgment, demand blood revenge for him etc., they enter into already existing rituals in the pre-Islamic Arab and early Muslim context. That is, they enter into rituals that were traditionally performed at the death of a person. What is new is that the rituals that the Penitents perform have partially received a new content. As described, the rituals are performed out of loyalty towards Husayn and the family of the Prophet. The lack of loyalty in connection with the death of Husayn is conceived of as a sin that has to be atoned. Blood revenge thus be­comes not only a pure action of revenge to restore honor, but equally an expression for true religious conversion and penitence. Humphrey and Laidlaw argue that ritual actions in themselves are not bearers of meaning, but that they are filled with mean­ing by the performer. Accord­ing to them, ritual actions are apprehensible, i.e. they can be, and should be filled with meaning, and the people who perform them try to do so within the context where the ritual is performed. The story of the Penitents is a clear example of mourning rituals as actions that survive from earlier times, but that are now filled with new meaning when they are performed in a new and developing move­ment with a different ideology. In later Shiʿism, these rituals are elaborated and become a main tenet of this form of Islam.

Folkmusikundervisningen på fiol och gitarr och dess historiska rötter

How folk musicians of today learn to play their instruments is an over-all question in this article. One violin lesson and one guitar lesson have been observed at Framnäs folk high school. Three research questions were formulated. What do the two lessons have in common? What are the differences? How could the folk music education of today be related to the Swedish fiddler movement in the 1920s and other folk music traditions? Theoretically, the interpretation of the results was based on the mimesis theory of Ricoeur. Two teachers and three students participated in the study. The results showed that the lessons were structured in a similar way and dominated by master apprenticeship teaching. The violin teacher showed a more respectful attitude towards the tradition compared to the guitar teacher. Great parts of the manifest ideology of the fiddler movement seems to have become concealed into a latent or frozen ideology in the formal folk music education of today. There seems to be no big differences between learning the music by way of visiting an older fiddler hundred years ago compared to the study of music today at a formal institution.

Emergency department triage scales and their components : a systematic review of the scientific evidence

Emergency department (ED) triage is used to identify patients' level of urgency and treat them based on their triage level. The global advancement of triage scales in the past two decades has generated considerable research on the validity and reliability of these scales. This systematic review aims to investigate the scientific evidence for published ED triage scales. The following questions are addressed: 1. Does assessment of individual vital signs or chief complaints affect mortality during the hospital stay or within 30 days after arrival at the ED? 2. What is the level of agreement between clinicians' triage decisions compared to each other or to a gold standard for each scale (reliability)? 3. How valid is each triage scale in predicting hospitalization and hospital mortality? A systematic search of the international literature published from 1966 through March 31, 2009 explored the British Nursing Index, Business Source Premier, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and PubMed. Inclusion was limited to controlled studies of adult patients (≥15 years) visiting EDs for somatic reasons. Outcome variables were death in ED or hospital and need for hospitalization (validity). Methodological quality and clinical relevance of each study were rated as high, medium, or low. The results from the studies that met the inclusion criteria and quality standards were synthesized applying the internationally developed GRADE system. Each conclusion was then assessed as having strong, moderately strong, limited, or insufficient scientific evidence. If studies were not available, this was also noted. We found ED triage scales to be supported, at best, by limited and often insufficient evidence. The ability of the individual vital signs included in the different scales to predict outcome is seldom, if at all, studied in the ED setting. The scientific evidence to assess interrater agreement (reliability) was limited for one triage scale and insufficient or lacking for all other scales. Two of the scales yielded limited scientific evidence, and one scale yielded insufficient evidence, on which to assess the risk of early death or hospitalization in patients assigned to the two lowest triage levels on a 5-level scale (validity).

Torrenting values, feelings and thoughts : cyber nursing and virtual self care in a breast augmentation forum

Earlier research shows that breast augmentation is positively correlated with positive psychological states. The aim of this study was to explore the shared values, feelings, and thoughts within the culture of breast enlargement among women visiting Internet-based forums when considering and/or undergoing esthetic plastic surgery. The study used a netnographic method for gathering and analyzing data. The findings show that the women used the Internet forum to provide emotional support to other women. Through electronic postings, they cared for and nursed each others’ anxiety and feelings throughout the whole process. Apart from the process, another central issue was that the women's relationships were frequently discussed; specifically their relationship to themselves, their environment, and with the surgeons. The findings suggest that Internet forums represent a channel through which posters can share values, feelings, and thoughts from the position of an agent of action as well as from a position as the object of action. These dual positions and the medium endow the women with a virtual nursing competence that would otherwise be unavailable. By introducing the concept of torrenting as a means of sharing important self-care information, the authors provide a concept that can be further explored in relation to post modern self-care strategies within contemporary nursing theories and practice.

Can therapy dogs evoke awareness of one's past and present life in persons with Alzheimer's disease?

BACKGROUND: Persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) sometimes express themselves through behaviours that are difficult to manage for themselves and their caregivers, and to minimise these symptoms alternative methods are recommended. For some time now, animals have been introduced in different ways into the environment of persons with dementia. Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) includes prescribed therapy dogs visiting the person with dementia for a specific purpose. AIM: This study aims to illuminate the meaning of the lived experience of encounters with a therapy dog for persons with Alzheimer's disease. METHOD: Video recorded sessions were conducted for each visit of the dog and its handler to a person with AD (10 times/person). The observations have a life-world approach and were transcribed and analysed using a phenomenological hermeneutical approach. RESULTS: The result shows a main theme 'Being aware of one's past and present existence', meaning to connect with one's senses and memories and to reflect upon these with the dog. The time spent with the dog shows the person recounting memories and feelings, and enables an opportunity to reach the person on a cognitive level. CONCLUSIONS: The present study may contribute to health care research and provide knowledge about the use of trained therapy dogs in the care of older persons with AD in a way that might increase quality of life and well-being in persons with dementia. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The study might be useful for caregivers and dog handlers in the care of older persons with dementia.

Sculptural abstraction of landscape

The purpose of my Senior Scholar project was to create a series of sculptures that are based on the interaction of natural forms within a selected landscape setting. I hope to convey a sense of how I view and interpret the landscape and to create works that stimulate a sense of wonder in the mind of the viewer. This fascination, perhaps even obsession, with the power of the landscape has kept me going throughout the year. As a source of ideas and imagery, the landscape can never be depleted. There will always be new combinations of landscape elements, different light conditions, and changing seasons to provide me with fresh ideas. Research for the project took me to many different places, be it my trip to Monhegan Island or driving to New York City to study the cityscape. I began the year working in steel and plaster, combining the two in works that explore the interaction between living tree roots and inanimate rocks. This led to a series entitled Landscape Recollections, comprised of welded steel forms housed in protective wooden boxes and lit from inside. After visiting New York City, architecture began to playa role in my work, as seen in the two Roadcut pieces and the Cathedral Woods series. Roadcut #1 and Roadcut #2 explore the relationship between a man-made road and the landscape that lies beneath and around it. The Cathedral Woods pieces incorporate architecture in a more abstract manner, using imagery derived from Gothic cathedrals to convey a sense of quiet peacefulness. The soaring verticality of Gothic architecture integrates with the tall tree forms in each piece, enabling me to intertwine these two elements into one another and create a harmonious relationship between architecture and nature. Throughout the year I have kept a sketchbook in which I draw from life, jot down ideas, and take notes on how the project is progressing. I have also completed several large charcoal drawings of my sculptures in which I explore different ways of viewing the steel forms. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to undertake this project, as it has been a very difficult but rewarding process of observing, interpreting, and manifesting the landscape according to my personal vision and experiences.

Planejamento de informática nas administrações públicas municipais do Estado de São Paulo

O trabalho mostra a utilização do Plano Diretor de Informática no setor público, através de estudos realizados junto às Administrações Públicas Municipais do Estado de São Paulo. Para tanto, tomou-se como base os modelos, as recomendações e diretrizes de estudos realizados para o setor privado destacando algumas características que diferenciam os dois setores. A partir dessa diferenciação. realizamos uma pesquisa em duas fases: a primeira: através de um questionário, enviado para 199 Municípios do Estado de São Paulo, para identificação daqueles que elaboraram Plano Diretor de Informática; a segunda, através de visita e entrevista a 4 dos 22 Municípios, os quais possuern Plano Diretor de Informática, para examiná-los e analisar a utilização prática destes. Depois de analisados os dados pudemos verificar que a diferenciação deve ser feita e recomendamos um modelo, o PSI - Planejamento Setorial de Informática, para a condução do processo de informatização das Administrações Públicas Municipais, o qual deve ser realizado de maneira setorial e não global como o proposto para o setor privado.