Impacts of different management systems on the physical quality of an Amazonian Oxisol

The physical quality of Amazonian soils is relatively unexplored, due to the unique characteristics of these soils. The index of soil physical quality is a widely accepted measure of the structural quality of soils and has been used to specify the structural quality of some tropical soils, as for example of the Cerrado ecoregion of Brazil. The research objective was to evaluate the physical quality index of an Amazonian dystrophic Oxisol under different management systems. Soils under five managements were sampled in Paragominas, State of Pará: 1) a 20-year-old second-growth forest (Forest); 2) Brachiaria sp pasture; 3) four years of no-tillage (NT4.); 4) eight years of no-tillage (NT8); and 5) two years of conventional tillage (CT2). The soil samples were evaluated for bulk density, macro and microporosity and for soil water retention. The physical quality index of the samples was calculated and the resulting value correlated with soil organic matter, bulk density and porosity. The surface layers of all systems were more compacted than those of the forest. The physical quality of the soil was best represented by the relations of the S index to bulk density and soil organic matter.

Effects of restricted methionine and energy intake on egg weight and shell quality

Selostus: Metioniinin ja energian saannin rajoittamisen vaikutukset kananmunan painoon ja laatuun

Socioeconomics status and quality of care in a population-based sample of swiss diabetic patients

Introduction: Low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with higher prevalence of diabetes and worse outcomes; it has also been shown to be associated with worse quality of care. We aimed to explore the relationship between SES and quality of care in the Swiss context. Methods: We used data from a population-based survey including 519 adult diabetic patients living in the canton of Vaud. Self-reported data on patients' and diabetes characteristics, indicators of process and outcomes of care and quality of life were collected. Dependent variables included 6 processes of care (PoC) received during the last 12 months (HbA1C, lipid, microalbuminuria, fundoscopy, feet examination and influenza vaccination) and selected clinical outcomes (blood pressure, LDL, HbA1C, diabetes-specific (ADDQoL) and generic quality of life (SF-12)). Regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between education and income, respectively, and quality of care as measured by PoC and clinical outcomes. Adjustment was made for age, gender and comorbidities. Results: Mean age was 64.5 years, 40% were women; 19%, 56% and 25% of the patients reported primary (I), secondary (II) and tertiary (III) education. Fundoscopy was the only PoC significantly associated with education, with III education patients more likely to get the exam than those with primary education (adjOR 1.8, 95% CI 1.0-3.3). Use of composite indicators of PoC showed that compared to patients with primary education, patients with III education were more likely to receive ≥5/6 PoC (adjOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1-3.4), and that those with II or III education were more likely to receive 4/4 PoC (adjOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.0-3.3; adjOR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1-4.1, respectively). Quality of life was the only clinical outcome significantly associated with education, with II and III education patients reporting better quality of life compared to primary education patients, as measured by the ADDQoL (β 0.6, 95% CI 0.3-1.0, β 0.6, 95% CI 0.2-1.0, respectively) and the physical component score of the SF-12 (β 2.5, 95% CI 0.2-4.8, β 3.6, 95% CI 0.9-6.4, respectively). No associations were found between income and quality of care. Conclusion: Social inequalities have been demonstrated in Switzerland for global health indicators. Our results suggest that similar associations are found when considering quality of care measures in individuals with diabetes, but only for a few indicators.

Soil fauna as an indicator of soil quality in forest stands, pasture and secondary forest

The interactions between soil invertebrates and environmental variations are relatively unknown in the assessment of soil quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate soil quality in areas with different soil management systems, based on soil fauna as indicator, in Além Paraíba, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The soil invertebrate community was sampled using pitfall traps, in the dry and rainy seasons, from areas with five vegetation types (acacia, mimosa, eucalyptus, pasture, and secondary forest). The abundance of organisms and the total and average richness, Shannon's diversity index, the Pielou uniformity index, and change index V were determined. The fauna was most abundant in the areas of secondary forest and mimosa plantations in the dry season (111.3 and 31.7 individuals per trap per day, respectively). In the rainy season, the abundance of organisms in the three vegetation types did not differ. The highest values of average and total richness were recorded in the secondary forest in the dry season and in the mimosa stand in the rainy season. Shannon's index ranged from 1.57 in areas with acacia and eucalyptus in the rainy season to 3.19 in the eucalyptus area in the dry season. The uniformity index was highest in forest stands (eucalyptus, acacia and mimosa) in the dry season, but higher in the rainy season in the pasture and secondary forest than in the forest stands. The change index V indicated that the percentage of extremely inhibited groups was lowest in the area with mimosa, both in the dry and rainy season (36 and 23 %, respectively). Of all forest stands, the mimosa area had the most abundant soil fauna.

Physical quality of an oxisol under different uses

The use of a soil induces changes in the physical properties according to the management, tillage intensity and type of crop. The objective of this work was to measure the alterations of some of the soil physical properties and evaluate the physical quality by the S index, an indicator proposed by Dexter (2004), comparing the land uses: eucalyptus plantations at different ages, grazing pasture, annual crops, and an area of preserved secondary vegetation with an area of preserved native forest (National Forest Araripe - NFA) as control. The study was carried out on an Oxisol on the Fazenda Redenção, in Jardim, State of Ceará, Brazil. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with seven treatments and three replications in the layers 0-0.1 and 0.1-0.2 m. The soil was analyzed for the following physical properties: bulk density, particle density, total pore volume, micro and macroporosity, soil water retention curves and water availability. Based on the S index, the hypothesis that the use of a soil deteriorates the physical quality was accepted. Clearly, native forest (NFA) was the land use with the best conditions in all physical properties studied, followed closely by the area reforested with 20 year-old eucalyptus. The use as grazing pasture affected the soil physical conditions most, especially in the surface layer (0-0.1 m), as evidenced by increased bulk density and a substantial reduction in soil porosity, mainly in macroporosity. Microporosity was not influenced by any of the uses and in any layer studied.

Improving Satellite Image Based Forest Inventory by Using A Priori Site Quality Information

Summary

Effect of computerisation on the quality and safety of chemotherapy prescription.

BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy is prescribed according to protocols of several cycles. These protocols include not only therapeutic agents but also adjuvant solvents and inherent supportive care measures. Multiple errors can occur during the prescription, the transmission of documents and the drug delivery processes, and lead to potentially serious consequences. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of a computerised physician order entry (CPOE) system on the number of errors in prescription recorded by the centralised chemotherapy unit of a pharmacy service in a university hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Existing chemotherapy protocols were standardised by a multidisciplinary team (composed of a doctor, a pharmacist and a nurse) and a CPOE system was developed from a File Maker Pro database. Chemotherapy protocols were progressively introduced into the CPOE system. The effect of the system on prescribing errors was measured over 15 months before and 21 months after starting computerised protocol prescription. Errors were classified as major (dosage and drug name) and minor (volume or type of infusion solution). RESULTS: Before computerisation, 141 errors were recorded for 940 prescribed chemotherapy regimens (15%). After introduction of the CPOE system, 75 errors were recorded for 1505 prescribed chemotherapy regimens (5%). Of these errors, 69 (92%) were recorded in prescriptions that did not use a computerised protocol. A dramatic decrease in the number of errors was noticeable when 50% of the chemotherapy protocols were prescribed through the CPOE system. CONCLUSION: Errors in chemotherapy prescription nearly disappeared after implementation of CPOE. The safety of chemotherapy prescription was markedly improved.

Diabetic patients who report receiving processes of diabetic care do not express a better quality of life

Background: Chronic disease management initiatives emphasize patient-centered care, and quality of life (QoL) is increasingly considered a representative outcome in that context. In this study we evaluated the association between receipt of processes of diabetic care and QoL. Methods: This cross-sectional population-based study (2011) used self-reported data from non-institutionalized, adult diabetics, recruited from randomly selected community pharmacies in Vaud. Outcomes included the physical and mental composites of the SF-36 (PCS, MCS) and the disease-specific Audit of Diabetes-Dependent QoL (ADDQoL). Main exposure variables were receipt of six diabetes processes-of care in the past 12 months. We also evaluated whether the association between care received and QoL was congruent with the chronic care model, when assessed by the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC). We used linear regressions to examine the association between process measures and the three composites of health-related QoL. Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, socioeconomic status, living companion, BMI, alcohol, smoking, physical activity, co-morbidities and diabetes mellitus (DM) characteristics (type, insulin use, complications, duration). Results: Mean age of the 519 diabetic patients was 64.4 years (SD 11.3), 60% were male and 73% had a living companion; 87% reported type 2 DM, half of respondents required insulin treatment, 48% had at least one DM complication, and 48% had DM over 10 years. Crude overall mean QoL scores were PCS: 43.4 (SD 10.5), MCS: 47.0 (SD 11.2) and ADDQoL: -1.56 (SD 1.6). In bivariate analyses, patients who received the influenza vaccine versus those who did not, had lower ADDQoL and PCS scores; there were no other indicator differences. In adjusted models including all processes, receipt of influenza vaccine was associated with lower ADDQoL (β= - 0.41, p=.01); there were no other associations between process indicators and QoL composites. There was no process association even when these were reported as combined measures of processes of care. PACIC score was associated only with the MCS (β= 1.57, p=.004). Conclusions: Process indicators for diabetes care did not show an association with QoL. This may represent an effect lag time between time of process received and quality of life; or that treatment may be related with inconvenience and patient worry. Further research is needed to explore these unexpected findings.

Effect of supplemental vitamin E on the performance of growing-finishing pigs fed stored versus freshly harvested barley and on the storage stability and eating quality of frozen pork

Lihasikojen E-vitamiinin tarve ruokittaessa vastapuidulla ohralla ja rehuun lisätyn E-vitamiinin vaikutus lihan pakastussäilyvyyteen ja syöntilaatuun

The effect of intrinsic soil properties on soil quality assessments

The assessment of soil quality is based on indicators and indices derived from soil properties. However, intrinsic soil properties may interfere with other soil properties that vary under different land uses and are used to calculate the indices. The aim of this study was to assess the extent to which intrinsic soil properties (clay and iron oxide contents) explain variable soil properties (sum of bases, potential acidity, organic carbon, total porosity, and bulk density) under different land uses (native forest, no-tillage and conventional agriculture) on small family farms in Southern Brazil. The results showed that the five properties evaluated can be included in soil quality assessments and are not influenced by the clay and iron oxide contents. It was concluded that for little weathered 1:1 and 2:1 phyllosilicate rich-soils, if the difference between the maximum and the minimum clay content under the different land uses is less than about 200 g kg-1 and the iron oxide content less than about 15 g kg-1, the physico-chemical soil properties in the surface layer are determined mostly by the land use.

Physical quality of an Oxisol after different periods of management systems

Management systems may lead to a loss of soil physical quality as a result of removal of the plant cover and excessive agricultural mechanization. The hypothesis of this study was that the soil aggregate stability, bulk density, macro- and microporosity, and the S index and saturated hydraulic conductivity may be used as indicators of the soil physical quality. The aim was to study the effects of different periods and managements on the physical attributes of a medium-textured Red Oxisol under soybean and corn for two growing seasons, and determine which layers are most susceptible to variations. A completely randomized experimental design was used with split plots (five treatments and four layers), with four replications. The treatments in 2008/09 consisted of: five years of no-tillage (NTS5), seven years of no-tillage (NTS7), nine years of no-tillage (NTS9), conventional tillage (CTS) and an adjacent area of native forest (NF). The treatments were extended for another year, identified in 2009/10 as: NTS6, NTS8, NTS10, CTS and NF. The soil layers 0-0.05, 0.05-0.10, 0.10-0.20 and 0.20-0.30 m were sampled. The highest S index values were observed in the treatment CTS in the 0-0.05 m layer (0.106) and the 0.05-0.10 m layer (0.099) in 2008/09, and in the 0-0.05 m layer (0.066) in 2009/10. This fact may be associated with soil turnover, resulting in high macroporosity in this treatment. In contrast, in the NTS, limiting macroporosity values were observed in some layers (below 0.10 m³ m-3). Highest aggregate stability as well as the highest saturated hydraulic conductivity (Kθ) values were observed in NF in relation to the other treatments. In 2009/10, the Kθ in NF differed only from NTS10. This study showed that the use of the S index alone cannot be recommended as an absolute indicator of the soil physical quality, even at values greater than 0.035.

Revisiting the S-index for soil physical quality and its use in Brazil

The S-index was introduced in 2004 in a publication by A.R. Dexter. S was proposed as an indicator of soil physical quality. A critical value delimiting soils with rich and poor physical quality was proposed. At present, Brazil is world leader in citations of Dexter's publication. In this publication the S-theory is mathematically revisited and extended. It is shown that S is mathematically correlated to bulk density and total porosity. As an absolute indicator, the value of S alone has proven to be incapable of predicting soil physical quality. The critical value does not always hold under boundary conditions described in the literature. This is to be expected because S is a static parameter, therefore implicitly unable to describe dynamic processes. As a relative indicator of soil physical quality, the S-index has no additional value over bulk density or total porosity. Therefore, in the opinion of the author, the fact that bulk density or total porosity are much more easily determined than the water retention curve for obtaining S disqualifies S as an advantageous indicator of relative soil physical quality. Among the several equations available for the fitting of water retention curves, the Groenevelt-Grant equation is preferable for use with S since one of its parameters and S are linearly correlated. Since efforts in soil physics research have the purpose of describing dynamic processes, it is the author's opinion that these efforts should shift towards mechanistic soil physics as opposed to the search for empirical correlations like S which, at present, represents far more than its reasonable share of soil physics in Brazil.

Patient-perceived health-related quality of life during recovery after total hip arthroplasty – a 6-month follow-up study

Potilaiden käsitys terveyteen liittyvästä elämänlaadusta lonkan tekonivelleikkauksen jälkeisenä toipumisaikana – kuuden kuukauden seurantatutkimus Tässä kaksivaiheisessa seurantatutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin potilaiden käsitystä terveyteen liittyvästä elämänlaadusta lonkan tekonivelleikkauksen jälkeisenä toipumisaikana. Tutkimuksen ensimmäisessä vaiheessa tarkoituksena oli sekä kuvailla potilaiden kokemuksia potilaana olosta, saamastaan hoidosta ja terveyspalveluorganisaatiosta että analysoida aikaisempien tutkimusten perusteella leikkauksen tuloksia potilaan kannalta. Toisessa vaiheessa tarkoituksena oli arvioida potilaiden kokemaa elämänlaatua leikkauksen jälkeen, ja sitä vaikuttivatko primaaritulokset (fyysinen toimintakyky, kipu, ahdistus) tai taloudelliset seuraukset (potilaiden itsensämaksamat kustannukset, palvelujen käyttö) terveyteen liittyvään elämänlaatuun. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli löytää mahdolliset kriittiset ajankohdat tai tekijät, jotka saattavat hidastaa toipumista ja siten huonontaa potilaiden elämänlaatua. Tätä tietoa voidaan käyttää hoitotyössä kun suunnitellaan sopivaa hoitoa ja tukea toipumisajalle. Tutkimuksen ensimmäisessä vaiheessa primaarileikkaukseen tulevat potilaat (n = 17) kuvailivat teemahaastatteluissa kokemuksiaan kahdesti leikkauksen jälkeen. Haastatteluaineisto analysoitiin induktiivisella sisällönanalyysilla. Lisäksi 17 tutkimusartikkelista analysoitiin deduktiivisella sisällönanalyysilla leikkauksen tuloksia potilaalle, tuloksiin vaikuttavia tekijöitä ja käytetyt tutkimusmetodit. Toisessa vaiheessa primaari- tai revisioleikkaukseen tulevat potilaat (n = 100) arvioivat leikkauksen tuloksia kuuden kuukauden ajan leikkauksen jälkeen: terveyteen liittyvää elämänlaatua, primaarituloksia ja taloudellisia seurauksia. Aineisto kerättiin erilaisilla mittareilla: Sickness Impact Profile, Finnish Version, Stait-Trait Anxiety Inventory, ja Numeric Rating Scale. Lisäksi käytettiin tätä tutkimusta varten tehtyjä kyselylomakkeita: Fyysinen toimintakyky-mittari, Palvelujen käyttö-mittari ja Kustannusmittari. Tutkimuksen toiseen vaiheen tulokset analysoitiin tilastollisilla menetelmillä. Potilaiden terveyteen liittyvä elämänlaatu parani ja kipu lievittyi leikkauksen jälkeen ja fyysinen toimintakyky lisääntyi toipumisaikana. Positiivisista muutoksista huolimatta potilaat kokivat ahdistusta samassa määrin kuin ennen leikkaustakin. Palvelujen käyttö vaihteli toipumisajan kuluessa ja potilaiden maksamissa kustannuksissa oli suuria vaihteluita. Fyysisen toimintakyvyn lisääntyminen ja kivun lieveneminen paransivat terveyteen liittyvää elämänlaatua. Sen sijaan huonompi elämänlaatu toipumisaikana oli yhteydessä suurempaan palvelujen käyttöön, kun taas kustannuksilla ei ollut yhteyttä elämänlaatuun. Potilaiden ominaispiirteet tulisi ottaa enemmän huomioon suunniteltaessa sopivaa leikkauksenjälkeistä hoitoa ja tukea. Potilaat tarvitsevat yksilöllisiä ohjeita, sillä monet taustatekijät (esim. ikä, sukupuoli, preoperatiivinen kipu, siviilisääty, ja leikkaustyyppi) vaikuttavat toipumiseen.