bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Profile Of Clinically Suspected Encephalitis Patients Admitted To Faridpur Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh
Authors: Fattah SA , Sarker SK , Ali MY , Alam MT , Ali SY
Published: January 2011

Encephalitis is a relatively common clinical diagnosis of admitted patients in Faridpur Medical College Hospital. This is significant because there was an outbreak of Nipah Virus (Ni-V) encephalitis in Faridpur district in 2004 with 34 cases including 26 deaths. Recent death of an intern doctor of FMCH from Ni-V encephalitis further emphasizes the gravity of situation. In this study a total number of 100 cases of clinically suspected encephalitis patients were studied for different clinical parameters. This is a retrospective study using data from hospital records. Majority of patients presented with neurological features (85%), 6% with pulmonary, 7% with combined neurological and pulmonary, and 2% with other features. 5-18 years age group comprises the highest number 44%, followed by >18 years age group 34%. Male-female ratio was 33:17. July to November was the period of maximum number of admission, the highest being in August. Patient from all upazillas of Faridpur were admitted, the highest being from Sadar Upazilla. 48% of the patients recovered, 19% expired and 7% were referred. In this context, further prospective study is urgently required to find out the epidemiological characteristics of Nipah virus encephalitis in Faridpur region. DOI: 10.3329/fmcj.v5i2.6818Faridpur Med. Coll. J. 2010;5(2):38-40
Knowledge And Awareness About The Risk Of HIV/AIDS Among Truck Drivers Of A Selected Area
Authors: Sadhya G , Islam AKMS , Islam R , Ahmed NU , Rahman M
Published: January 2011

This cross- sectional study was conducted among the truck drivers at Daulatdia Ghat, Goalanda, Rajbari district. The objective of this study was to find out the knowledge and awareness about the risk of HIV/AIDS transmission among the truck drivers .Out of 226 respondents, 37.3% were within the age group 25 to 35 years. Most of the respondents (74%) were married and 44% were educated up to primary level. Half of the respondents (50%) had monthly income from taka 10,000 to taka 15,000 per month. From this study, it was found that 97% respondents had heard the name of HIV/AIDS, 61.8% had known about HIV/AIDS from media and newspaper. In respect of the route of HIV transmission, 39.8% of respondents thought that HIV is transmitted by sexual activities and 58.7% thought the disease is transmitted by syringe, transfusion. About 47.8% respondents thought that HIV can be detected from blood and 76% knew the fate of HIV/AIDS is death. Majority (82.5%) of the respondents obtained correct knowledge about HIV/AIDS transmission and 13.2% of them knew the place where test of HIV can be done. Key words: Knowledge; HIV/AIDS; Risk; Truck drivers DOI: 10.3329/fmcj.v5i2.6820Faridpur Med. Coll. J. 2010;5(2):46-49
Pattern Of Different Eczema Among Outdoor Patients Attended Faridpur Medical College Hospital, Faridpur, Bangladesh
Authors: Ahmed ARS , Islam AKMS , Sarkar SK , Mia A
Published: January 2011

Eczematous dermatitis is very common in our country and all over the world. The aim of current study was to assess the burden, frequency and pattern of different eczema at outpatient department of Faridpur Medical College Hospital in the year 2009. Retrospective data were collected from medical records of patient. Patients of all ages & both sexes attending at the dermatology outpatient department of Faridpur Medical College Hospital in the year 2009 suffering from different eczema were included in this study. The frequency of eczema among patients attending at outpatient department of Faridpur Medical College Hospital was 12.8%, and the male to female ratio was almost 1:1. The most affected age group among patients was 0-5 years. Of all cases of eczema, 77.05% were endogenous and 22.52% were exogenous. The most common type of eczema was seborrhoeic dermatitis (27.17% of all cases), followed by contact dermatitis (20.00%) and Hand eczema (14.18%). Seborrhoeic dermatitis is commonest in young adult (21- 45 yrs), whereas atopic dermatitis is common in infant and children (0-10 yrs). Eczema is a public health problem in Faridpur, Bangladesh, and this necessitates prospective studies to determine its incidence and prevalence. Key words: Eczema; Atopic dermatitis; Faridpur DOI: 10.3329/fmcj.v5i2.6822Faridpur Med. Coll. J. 2010;5(2):53-55
Outbreak Of Nipah Encephalitis In Greater Faridpur District
Authors: Ali MY , Fattah SA , Islam MM , Hossain MA , Ali SY
Published: January 2011

Nipah viral encephalitis is one of the fatal re-emerging infections especially in southeast Asia. After its outbreak in Malaysia and Singapore; repeated outbreaks occurred at western part of Bangladesh especially in Faridpur region. Besides, sporadic attacks appear to occur in the country throughout the year. Here two Nipah outbreaks in greater Faridpur district in 2003 and 2004 are described along with brief review on transmission of the virus. Where the history of illness among patients are very much in favour of man to man transmission. Moreover the death of an intern doctor from Nipah encephalitis who was involved in managing such patients in Faridpur Medical College Hospital strongly suggests man to man transmission of this virus. So, aim of this review article to make the health personnel and general people be aware about man to man transmission of virus, so that they can adapt personal protection equipment (PPE) for their protection against this deadly disease. DOI: 10.3329/fmcj.v5i2.6825Faridpur Med. Coll. J. 2010;5(2):63-65
Urinary Bladder Tuberculosis - A Case Report
Authors: Ali MY , Fattah SA , Islam MM , Haque MM , Biswas AK , Hossain MA
Published: January 2011

Genito-urinary tuberculosis is an infrequent but not uncommon condition in countries with high incidence of tuberculosis like Bangladesh. A female patient of 25 years was admitted into Faridpur Medical college Hospital with acute retention of urine with history of haematuria, dysuria, fever and difficulty in urination for about three years. USG revealed few masses in the urinary bladder, later proved by histopathological examination as granulomatous lesion consistent with tuberculosis. Anti-TB treatment was given and the masses were removed surgically. With this treatment recovery of the patient is satisfactory and symptoms are disappearing. The aim of this study to make internist more efficient to diagnose the disease by strong clinical suspicion and relevant laboratory investigation, otherwise such uncommon disease and its complications may endanger life of such patient. DOI: 10.3329/fmcj.v5i2.6826Faridpur Med. Coll. J. 2010;5(2):66-68
Eternal Hate and Conscience: On the Filiation between Freudian Psychoanalysis and Sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Century Protestant Thought
Authors: Westerink Herman
Published: January 2011

In his seminar on ethics Jacques Lacan suggests there exists a ‘filiation or cultural paternity’ between Freudian psychoanalysis and a ‘new direction of thought’ that starts with Luther's conceptualization of God's eternal hate of man, and is then further continued in Calvinism. In this article this thesis is explored. The author argues that there is not only a familiarity between the Protestant doctrines of predestination and Freud's reconstruction of prehistoric events and primal scenes, but also that Lacan's views on conscience formation and his elaborations of the complexity of moral decisions resembles Calvinist thought on civil and spiritual conscience, and the longing for restoration of a lost image of God.
Fourteen Hundred Hours of Analysis with Freud: Viktor von Dirsztay. A Biographical Sketch
Authors: May Ulrike
Published: January 2011

On the basis of mostly unpublished sources, the author reconstructs the life of the Hungarian writer Viktor von Dirsztay (1884?–1935) who was personally acquainted with many expressionist artists and writers, e.g. with Karl Kraus, Oskar Kokoschka, Herwarth Walden, Walter Hasenclever, Hermann Broch and Arthur Schnitzler. This association puts Freud into closer proximity with the cultural avant-garde of his times than previously realized. Between 1910 and 1920 Dirsztay underwent several phases of analysis with Freud; then he was treated by Theodor Reik. The overall length of his analysis with Freud is almost unparalleled. The article discusses whether and in which way Dirsztay's writings might have been influenced by his analyses and how Freud and Reik might have drawn upon their experiences with this patient. It is argued that likely references can be discovered in both authors’ theories of masochism. There is an intriguing late remark of Dirsztay's that he was ‘ruined by analysis’.
Soft-tissue injuries associated with cast application for distal limb orthopaedic conditions
Authors: Davidson C. , Arthurs G. I. , Meeson R. L.
Published: January 2011

Objectives: Casts applied for orthopaedic conditions can result in soft-tissue injuries. The purpose of our study was to describe the nature and prevalence of such complications.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of medical records of dogs and cats that had a cast placed for an orthopaedic condition between October 2003 and May 2009. The data were analysed and categorised.

Results: Of the 60 animals that had a cast placed, 63% developed a soft-tissue injury (60% mild, 20% moderate and 20% severe). Injuries could occur any time during coaptation, and an association with duration of casting and severity (p = 0.42) was not shown. Severe injuries took the longest to resolve (p = 0.003). Sighthounds were significantly more likely to develop a soft-tissue injury (p = 0.04), and cross-breeds were less likely (p = 0.01). All common calcaneal tendon reconstructions suffered soft-tissue injuries, but significance was not shown (p = 0.08). Veterinarians identified the majority of injuries (80%) rather than the owners. The financial cost of treating soft-tissue injuries ranged from four to 121% the cost of the original orthopaedic procedure.

Clinical significance: Soft-tissue injuries secondary to casting occur frequently, and can occur at any time during the casting period. Within our study, sighthounds were more likely to develop soft tissue injuries, and should therefore perhaps be considered as a susceptible group. The only reliable way to identify an injury is to remove the cast and inspect the limb.
An Individual-Based Approach to Modeling Tourism Dynamics
Authors: Johnson Peter A. , Sieber Renee E.
Published: January 2011

To better understand the dynamics of tourism, emphasis in modeling is evolving from descriptive towards analytic, process-based approaches. We present a conceptual framework of tourism as a set of individual-based interactions between tourists and destinations occurring on a spatial,
scaled landscape. We use agent-based modeling (ABM), a type of computer simulation, to operationalize this individual-based framework of tourism development and change, set in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The model is used to generate a series of scenarios about the impact of visitation
to rural destinations through modifying individual awareness and tourist mobility variables. The findings generated with this ABM demonstrate that the spatial location of a destination in relation to a network of other destinations has implications for how that destination can capitalize on
changes to tourist destination awareness and mobility. The impact of spatial location is only apparent as a result of modeling the individual interactions of tourists and destinations. This research proposes that an individual-based approach can be used to better understand the spatial, multiscaled
processes and dynamics that generate emergent patterns of impact.
Process to Prototype: Insights for Museums and Nonprofit Attractions
Authors: Becker Cherylynn , Fleur Elizabeth LA
Published: January 2011

This research takes a pluralistic approach by combining quantitative and qualitative research methods to identify three distinct prototypes for funding and maintaining museum operations. A threestage process is introduced to segment nonprofit aviation museums by geographic region, funding
sources, and population and visitor statistics. Analysis of the outcome leads to the identification of three operational strategies pursued by museums: the community partnership, the philanthropic proprietorship, and the controlling sponsorship. Propositions are presented
to guide future research.
Treatment for Glioblastoma Multiforme: Current Guidelines and Canadian Practice
Authors: Ghose A. , Lim G. , Husain S.
Published: January 2011

Purpose: Our survey aimed to document variability in the practice patterns of Canadian radiation oncologists treating high-grade brain tumours. Materials and Methods: A 20-question survey was developed to address various aspects of treatment: (1) Guidelines used; (2) Types of fusion protocols used; (3) Number of treatment phases; (4) Margins for volume delineation; (5) Dose constraints. The survey was sent to Canadian radiation oncologists currently treating the central nervous system (CNS) as one of their primary sites. Results: We attained a 56% response rate from radiation oncologists across Canada treating CNS sites. In their practice, 14% of respondents reported following guidelines from the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer; 32%, from the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group; and 56%, centre-specific guidelines. Single-phase treatment was reported by 60% of clinicians, and two-phase or multi-phase treatments, by 37%. For clinicians treating in single phase, margins from the gross treatment volume (GTV) to the planning treatment volume (PTV) included 0.5 cm (6%), 1 cm (6%), 1.5 cm (25%), 2.0 cm (56%), 2.5 cm (25%), and 3 cm (12.5%), with some respondents selecting more than one standard margin. For clinicians treating in multiple phases, margins from gtv to ptv in phase 2 included 1 cm (10%), 2.0 cm (40%), 2.5 cm (30%), and 3.0 cm (20%). Variability was also observed in dose constraints to critical structures. All respondents trimmed their margins to bony structures.
Consent to External-Beam Radiotherapy
Authors: Freeman Carolyn , Lamed H. , Gingras C. , Shenouda G.
Published: January 2011

Canadian law, and the physician’s code of ethics, requires that informed consent be obtained before any medical act is performed. However, there are no rules about how consent is to be obtained and by whom, and how that consent is to be documented. In April 2008, we asked the heads of all Canadian radiation oncology departments to tell us whether their centre uses a written consent form for external-beam radiotherapy and, if it did, to send us a copy of the form or forms used. Responses were received from 29 of the 38 centres contacted (76%). In 12 centres, all of them in British Columbia or Quebec, no written consent is obtained. Of the 17 centres (59%) that do seek written consent, 9 use a generic hospital or cancer centre form. Only 5 use a form specific to radiotherapy that mentions multiple visits, photographs in the treatment position, use of tattoos, and so on, and only 2 use a form that is specific to the tumour type or site irradiated and that explains the risks associated with treatment. The final centre of the 17 did not provide a form for review. While current practice at the McGill University Health Centre is not out of line with that at other Canadian centres, the results of our survey suggest a need for dialogue on the subject of consent for external-beam radiotherapy.
Umbilical Metastasis: A Case Series of Four Sister Joseph Nodules from Four Different Visceral Malignancies
Authors: Palaniappan M. , Jose W.M. , Mehta A. , Kumar K. , Pavithran K.
Published: January 2011

Sister Joseph nodule is a metastatic umbilical lesion secondary to a primary malignancy of any viscera. It can be a presenting symptom (a sign of undiagnosed malignancy) or a symptom or sign of progression or recurrence in a known case. Its incidence is 1–3% of all intra-abdominal or pelvic malignancies. Here, we present 4 such cases, with Sister Joseph nodule as a finding of (1) presentation in a case of gallbladder carcinoma, (2) progression in a case of malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumour, (3) recurrence in a case of ovarian carcinoma, and (4) presentation in a case of rectal carcinoma. The clinicopathologic features of all 4 patients are discussed, and the related literature is briefly reviewed.
Arterial Occlusion Precipitated by Cisplatinbased Chemotherapy
Authors: Joseph D. , Dubashi Biswajit , Karthikeyan B. , Jain A.
Published: January 2011

Cisplatin-based therapy is curative in testicular cancer. Adverse effects of cisplatin-based chemotherapy include dose-dependent myelosuppression, nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and ototoxicity. By contrast, chemotherapy-associated vascular complications are unpredictable. Few incidents of digital gangrene with cisplatin have been reported. Here, we present a patient who developed arterial occlusion leading to gangrene of the toe after cisplatinbased chemotherapy.
Protective Murine and Human Monoclonal Antibodies against Eczema Vaccinatum
Authors: Tomimori Yoshiaki , Kawakami Yuko , McCausland Megan M , Ando Tomoaki , Koriazova Lilia , Kato Shinichiro , Kawakami Toshiaki , Crotty Shane
Published: January 2011

Background

Eczema vaccinatum is the most common severe pathology associated with smallpox vaccination (vaccinia virus), occurring at high rates among individuals with a previous history of atopic dermatitis (atopic eczema).

Methods

Monoclonal antibodies capable of neutralizing vaccinia virus, anti-H3 and anti-B5, were developed as a potential therapy for treatment of human eczema vaccinatum.

Results

Using a small animal model of eczema vaccinatum, we demonstrated that both murine and fully human monoclonal antibodies effectively limited eczema vaccinatum disease, foreshortening both the disease kinetics and the severity of the erosive viral skin lesions.

Conclusions

These neutralizing antibodies would likely be effective at reducing or eliminating clinical disease in people with eczema vaccinatum or other severe side effects of the smallpox vaccine.
Invertebrate Hematopoiesis: An Astakine-Dependent Novel Hematopoietic Factor
Authors: Lin Xionghui , Söderhäll Kenneth , Söderhäll Irene
Published: January 2011

A novel factor, named crustacean hematopoietic factor (CHF), was identified from a library of suppression subtractive hybridization with the aim to find downstream genes of an invertebrate cytokine, astakine 1, in the freshwater crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus. CHF is a small cysteine-rich protein (∼9 kDa) with high similarity to the N-terminal region of vertebrate CRIM1 in containing an insulin growth factor binding protein variant motif with unknown function. CHF was found to be induced in primary cell cultures of crayfish hematopoietic tissue (Hpt) cells (precursors of crayfish blood cells) after treatment with astakine 1. Silencing of CHF did not affect the renewal of Hpt cells in vitro, but induced apoptosis of Hpt cells. CHF is exclusively expressed in the blood cell lineage of crayfish (Hpt cells and blood cells), and in vivo RNA interference experiments show that knockdown of this gene results in severe loss of blood cells and a higher apoptotic rate in Hpt. Our data further suggest that crayfish CHF is critical for the survival of hemocytes and Hpt cells by preventing their apoptosis, thus it plays an important role in hemocyte homeostasis in crayfish. Our study of CHF may also shed light on the function of this untypical insulin growth factor binding protein motif located in the N-terminal of vertebrate CRIM1.
Selenoprotein K Knockout Mice Exhibit Deficient Calcium Flux in Immune Cells and Impaired Immune Responses
Authors: Verma Saguna , Hoffmann FuKun W. , Kumar Mukesh , Huang Zhi , Roe Kelsey , Nguyen-Wu Elizabeth , Hashimoto Ann S. , Hoffmann Peter R.
Published: January 2011

Selenoprotein K (Sel K) is a selenium-containing protein for which no function has been identified. We found that Sel K is an endoplasmic reticulum transmembrane protein expressed at relatively high levels in immune cells and is regulated by dietary selenium. Sel K−/− mice were generated and found to be similar to wild-type controls regarding growth and fertility. Immune system development was not affected by Sel K deletion, but specific immune cell defects were found in Sel K−/− mice. Receptor-mediated Ca2+ flux was decreased in T cells, neutrophils, and macrophages from Sel K−/− mice compared with controls. Ca2+-dependent functions including T cell proliferation, T cell and neutrophil migration, and Fcγ receptor-mediated oxidative burst in macrophages were decreased in cells from Sel K−/− mice compared with that in cells from controls. West Nile virus infections were performed, and Sel K−/− mice exhibited decreased viral clearance in the periphery and increased viral titers in brain. Furthermore, West Nile virus-infected Sel K−/− mice demonstrated significantly lower survival (2 of 23; 8.7%) compared with that of wild-type controls (10 of 26; 38.5%). These results establish Sel K as an endoplasmic reticulum-membrane protein important for promoting effective Ca2+ flux during immune cell activation and provide insight into molecular mechanisms by which dietary selenium enhances immune responses.
An Emerging Pulmonary Haemorrhagic Syndrome in Dogs: Similar to the Human Leptospiral Pulmonary Haemorrhagic Syndrome?
Authors: Klopfleisch R. , Kohn B. , Plog S. , Weingart C. , Nöckler K. , Mayer-Scholl A. , Gruber A. D.
Published: January 2011

Severe pulmonary haemorrhage is a rare necropsy finding in dogs but the leptospiral pulmonary haemorrhagic syndrome (LPHS) is a well recognized disease in humans. Here we report a pulmonary haemorrhagic syndrome in dogs that closely resembles the human disease. All 15 dogs had massive, pulmonary haemorrhage affecting all lung lobes while haemorrhage in other organs was minimal. Histologically, pulmonary lesions were characterized by acute, alveolar haemorrhage without identifiable vascular lesions. Seven dogs had mild alveolar wall necrosis with hyaline membranes and minimal intraalveolar fibrin. In addition, eight dogs had acute renal tubular necrosis. Six dogs had a clinical diagnosis of leptospirosis based on renal and hepatic failure, positive microscopic agglutination test (MAT) and/or positive blood/urineLeptospira-specific PCR.Leptospiracould not be cultured post mortem from the lungs or kidneys. However,Leptospira-specific PCR was positive in lung, liver or kidneys of three dogs. In summary, a novel pulmonary haemorrhagic syndrome was identified in dogs but the mechanism of the massive pulmonary erythrocyte extravasation remains elusive. The lack of a consistent post mortem identification ofLeptospiraspp. in dogs with pulmonary haemorrhage raise questions as to whether additional factors besidesLeptospiramay cause this as yet unrecognized entity in dogs.
Temperature Increases in the Human Achilles Tendon During Ultrasound Treatments With Commercial Ultrasound Gel and Full-Thickness and Half-Thickness Gel Pads
Authors: Draper David O. , Edvalson Clinton G. , Knight Kenneth L. , Eggett Dennis , Shurtz Joseph
Published: January 2011

Context:

Although originally manufactured for use in diagnostic imaging of internal structures, 2-cm-thick gel pads are also used as conducting media for therapeutic ultrasound over areas with bony prominences. Research on the ability of these pads to conduct enough energy to adequately heat tissues has provided mixed results. However, this research has mainly been performed on the triceps surae muscle, an area over which gel pads are not typically used. We wondered how much heating might be produced if a thinner pad was used over a tendon.

Objective:

To compare temperature rises in the human Achilles tendon during ultrasound treatments using ultrasound gel, a 2-cm-thick pad, and a 1-cm-thick pad.

Design:

Cross-sectional study.

Setting:

University therapeutic modality laboratory.

Patients or Other Participants:

Forty-eight healthy volunteers (24 women, 24 men).

Intervention(s):

We inserted a rigid thermocouple 1 cm deep into the Achilles tendon. Ultrasound was delivered at the following settings: 3 MHz, continuous, 1 W/cm2, 10 minutes.

Main Outcome Measure(s):

Temperature was recorded every 30 seconds for 10 minutes.

Results:

Temperature increased the most in the ultrasound gel group (increase  =  13.3°C, peak  =  42°C). The 1-cm-thick pad resulted in higher tendon temperature (increase  =  9.3°C, peak  =  37.8°C) than the 2-cm-thick pad (increase  =  6.5°C, peak  =  4.8°C). The 1-cm pad produced approximately 30% more heating than the 2-cm pad (SE  =  0.72, P < .03).

Conclusions:

The thinner pad transmitted ultrasound more efficiently than the thicker pad. Thus, a gel pad of less than 1-cm thickness might be useful for superficial areas, such as the hands and ankles.
The Reliability of Portable Fixed Dynamometry During Hip and Knee Strength Assessments
Authors: Kollock Roger O. , Onate James A. , Van Lunen Bonnie
Published: January 2011

Context:

Insufficient lower extremity strength may be a risk factor for lower extremity injuries such as noncontact anterior cruciate ligament tears. Therefore, clinicians need reliable instruments to assess strength deficiencies.

Objective:

To assess the intrarater, interrater, intrasession, and intersession reliability of a portable fixed dynamometer in measuring the strength of the hip and knee musculature.

Design:

Crossover study.

Setting:

Sports medicine research laboratory.

Patients or Other Participants:

Three raters (A, B, C) participated in this 2-phase study. Raters A and B tested 11 healthy college graduate students (2 men, 9 women) in phase 1. Raters A and C tested 26 healthy college undergraduate students (7 men, 19 women) in phase 2.

Main Outcome Measure(s):

The dependent variables for the study were hip adductor, hip abductor, hip flexor, hip extensor, hip internal rotator, hip external rotator, knee flexor, and knee extensor peak force.

Results:

The phase 1 intrasession intraclass correlation coefficients for sessions 1, 2, and 3 ranged from 0.88 to 0.99 (SEM  =  0.08–3.02 N), 0.85 to 0.99 (SEM  =  0.26–3.88 N), and 0.92 to 0.96 (SEM  =  0.52–2.76 N), respectively. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.57 to 0.95 (SEM  =  1.72–13.15 N) for phase 1 intersession values, 0.70 to 0.94 (SEM  =  1.42–9.20 N) for phase 2 intrarater reliability values, and 0.69 to 0.88 (SEM  =  1.20–8.50 N) for phase 2 interrater values.

Conclusions:

The portable fixed dynamometer showed good to high intrasession and intersession reliability values for hip and knee strength. Intrarater and interrater reliability were fair to high, except for hip internal rotation, which showed poor reliability.
National Athletic Trainers' Association Position Statement: Skin Diseases
Authors: Zinder Steven M. , Basler Rodney S. W. , Foley Jack , Scarlata Chris , Vasily David B.
Published: January 2011

Objective:

To present recommendations for the prevention, education, and management of skin infections in athletes.

Background:

Trauma, environmental factors, and infectious agents act together to continually attack the integrity of the skin. Close quarters combined with general poor hygiene practices make athletes particularly vulnerable to contracting skin diseases. An understanding of basic prophylactic measures, clinical features, and swift management of common skin diseases is essential for certified athletic trainers to aid in preventing the spread of infectious agents.

Recommendations:

These guidelines are intended to provide relevant information on skin infections and to give specific recommendations for certified athletic trainers and others participating in athletic health care.
Alternative Agents to Prevent Fogging in Head and Neck Endoscopy
Authors: Piromchai Patorn , Kasemsiri Pornthep , Thanaviratananich Sanguansak
Published: January 2011

Background

The essential factor for diagnosis and treatment of diseases in head and neck endoscopy is the visibility of the image. An anti-fogging agent can reduce this problem by minimizing surface tension to prevent the condensation of water in the form of small droplets on a surface. There is no report on the use of hibiscrub® or baby shampoo to reduce fogging in the literature. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy between commercial anti-fogging agent, hibiscrub® and baby shampoo to reduce fogging for the use in head and neck endoscopy.

Methods

The study was conducted at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University in August 2010. Commercial anti-fogging agent, baby shampoo and hibiscrub® were applied on rigid endoscope lens before putting them into a mist generator. The images were taken at baseline, 15 seconds, 30 seconds and 1 minute. The images' identifiers were removed before they were sent to two evaluators. A visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to rate the image quality from 0 to 10.

Results

The difference in mean VAS score between anti-fogging agent, baby shampoo and hibiscrub® versus no agent were 5.46, 4.45 and 2.1 respectively. The commercial anti-fogging agent and baby shampoo had most protective benefit and performed significantly better than no agent ( P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Baby shampoo is an effective agent to prevent fogging during head and neck endoscopy and compares favourably with commercial anti-fogging agent.
Tryptophan Oxidative Metabolism Catalyzed byGeobacillus Stearothermophilus: A Thermophile Isolated from Kuwait Soil Contaminated with Petroleum Hydrocarbons
Authors: Al-Hassan Jassim M. , Al-Awadi Samira , Oommen Sosamma , Alkhamis Abdulaziz , Afzal Mohammad
Published: January 2011

Tryptophan metabolism has been extensively studied in humans as well as in soil. Its metabolism takes place mainly through kynurenine pathway yielding hydroxylated, deaminated and many other products of physiological significance. However, tryptophan metabolism has not been studied in an isolated thermophilic bacterium. Geobacillus stearothermophilus is a local thermophile isolated from Kuwait desert soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. The bacterium grows well at 65 °C in 0.05 M phosphate buffer (pH 7), when supplied with organic compounds as a carbon source and has a good potential for transformation of steroids and related molecules. In the present study, we used tryptophan ethyl ester as a carbon source for the bacterium to study the catabolism of the amino acid at pH 5 and pH 7. In this endeavor, we have resolved twenty one transformation products of tryptophan by GC/LC and have identified them through their mass spectral fragmentation.
The Internationalization of the Software Market: Opportunities and Challenges for Brazilian Companies
Authors: Burzynski Oscar Roberto , Graeml Alexandre Reis , Balbinot Zandra
Published: January 2011

This paper deals with the potential for internationalization of the Brazilian software industry from the perspective of software developers and service providers. The purpose of the study conducted was to better understand the way Brazilian software companies relate to the international software market by comparing the perceptions of entrepreneurs and those of government agency officials responsible for increasing Brazil's participation in the international software market. Data collection took place by means of semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs and government agency officials. The data gathered was subjected to content analysis. Results show that Brazilian software companies perform poorly with regard to levels of exporting their products and services for a number of reasons, among which the most outstanding is that they still think that the internal market offers enough challenges and opportunities.
Information and Communication Technologies to Deliver Financial Services for the Low-Income Population: Correspondent Banking at Banco Lemon
Authors: Yokomizo Cesar Akira , Diniz Eduardo Henrique , Christopoulos Tania Pereira
Published: January 2011

Brazilian banks have developed innovative initiatives to deliver financial services for the lowincome population through correspondent banking (CB). Banco Lemon is such an interesting case to be studied because it has implemented a business model based exclusively on CB outlets and its focus was on low-income clients. This paper describes Banco Lemon’s adoption process of the CB technology to deliver financial services for the low-income population, promoting a historical description of the bank’s activities, since its creation and up to the year 2009. Eventually, this paper concludes that bill payment initiatives were successful while credit initiatives led to unexpressive outcomes.
Project Orientation: a Proposal to Develop a Service Oriented Architecture
Authors: Serman Daniel Valente
Published: January 2011

A service-oriented architecture (SOA) is occasionally seen as a complex and undefeatable challenge (Serman, 2007). This feeling is motivated by the lack of attention from practitioners and from the academy on the means for its construction. The work aims to bring the portfolio management of IT projects as an option to guide the SOA development. A review of the literature on SOA was carried out, including case studies on the SOA adoption. A case study was also done, which analyzed some projects of a particular organization, focusing on the evolution of its services architecture. The results show a gradual development of SOA in the case studied based on projects execution and sequencing. It concludes with a proposal of a process for building SOA as well as suggestions and limitations for future research.
Business Process Modeling and Production Control System Specification in the Self-Adhesive Industry
Authors: Georges Marcos Ricardo Rosa
Published: January 2011

This article presents the development of an information system for production control in an industry of self-adhesive products. The option to develop their own information system is due to the high specificity of their production system and unsuccessful attempt to adopt ERP systems available. The development of the intended information system was based on the modeling of all businesses processes throughout production, recognizing all data, processes and people involved, and especially the flow of information and decisions made during production. This body of information raised through the modeling of businesses processes enabled the specification of the structure of the data contained in every notation form from the shop floor, as well as the definition of access screens for all reports, and data manipulations required for production. By using a database, spreadsheets and some microcomputers interconnected in a network, a production control system was implemented on the shop-floor six months after the beginning of the system development. Details of the businesses processes modeled, of the data structure and of all flows are presented in this article. Comments on the results complete this study.
Seasonal variability of aerosol optical properties observed by means of a Raman lidar at an EARLINET site over Northeastern Spain
Authors: Sicard M. , Rocadenbosch F. , Reba M. N. M. , Comerón A. , Tomás S. , García-Vízcaino D. , Batet O. , Barrios R. , Kumar D. , Baldasano J. M.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. The annual and seasonal variability of aerosol optical properties observed by means of a Raman lidar over Northeastern Spain has been assessed. The lidar representativeness has first been checked against sun-photometer measurements in terms of aerosol optical thickness. Then the annual cycle and the seasonal variability of the planetary boundary layer aerosol optical thickness and its fraction compared to the columnar optical thickness, the lidar ratio, the backscatter-related Ångström exponent and the planetary boundary layer height are analyzed and discussed. Winter and summer mean profiles of extinction, backscatter and lidar ratio retrieved with the Raman algorithm are presented. The analysis shows the impact of most of the natural events (Saharan dust intrusions, wildfires, etc.) and meteorological situations (summer anticyclonic situation, the formation of the Iberian thermal low, winter long-range transport from North Europe and/or North America, re-circulation flows, etc.) occurring in the Barcelona area. A detailed study of a special event including a combined intrusion of Saharan dust and biomass-burning particles proves the suitability of combining the retrieval of aerosol optical properties from Raman and pure elastic lidar measurements to discriminate spatially different types of aerosols and to follow their spatial and temporal evolution.
Impact of deep convection in the tropical tropopause layer in West Africa: in-situ observations and mesoscale modelling
Authors: Fierli F. , Orlandi E. , Law K. S. , Cagnazzo C. , Cairo F. , Schiller C. , Borrmann S. , Di Donfrancesco G. , Ravegnani F. , Volk C. M.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. We present the analysis of the impact of convection on the composition of the tropical tropopause layer region (TTL) in West-Africa during the AMMA-SCOUT campaign. Geophysica M55 aircraft observations of water vapor, ozone, aerosol and CO2 during August 2006 show perturbed values at altitudes ranging from 14 km to 17 km (above the main convective outflow) and satellite data indicates that air detrainment is likely to have originated from convective cloud east of the flights. Simulations of the BOLAM mesoscale model, nudged with infrared radiance temperatures, are used to estimate the convective impact in the upper troposphere and to assess the fraction of air processed by convection. The analysis shows that BOLAM correctly reproduces the location and the vertical structure of convective outflow. Model-aided analysis indicates that convection can influence the composition of the upper troposphere above the level of main outflow for an event of deep convection close to the observation site. Model analysis also shows that deep convection occurring in the entire Sahelian transect (up to 2000 km E of the measurement area) has a non negligible role in determining TTL composition.
Large-scale European source and flow patterns retrieved from back-trajectory interpretations of CO2 at the high alpine research station Jungfraujoch
Authors: Uglietti C. , Leuenberger M. , Brunner D.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. The University of Bern monitors carbon dioxide (CO2) and oxygen (O2) at the High Altitude Research Station Jungfraujoch since the year 2000 by means of flasks sampling and since 2005 using a continuous in situ measurement system. This study investigates the transport of CO2 and O2 towards Jungfraujoch using backward trajectories to classify the air masses with respect to their CO2 and O2 signatures. By investigating trajectories associated with distinct CO2 concentrations it is possible to decipher different source and sink areas over Europe. The highest CO2 concentrations, for example, were observed in winter during pollution episodes when air was transported from Northeastern Europe towards the Alps, or during south Foehn events with rapid uplift of polluted air from Northern Italy, as demonstrated in two case studies. To study the importance of air-sea exchange for variations in O2 concentrations at Jungfraujoch the correlation between CO2 and APO (Atmospheric Potential Oxygen) deviations from a seasonally varying background was analyzed. Anomalously high APO concentrations were clearly associated with air masses originating from the Atlantic Ocean, whereas low APO concentrations were found in air masses advected either from the east from the Eurasian continent in summer, or from the Eastern Mediterranean in winter. Those air masses with low APO in summer were also strongly depleted in CO2 suggesting a combination of CO2 uptake by vegetation and O2 uptake by dry summer soils. Other clusters of points in the APO–CO2 scatter plot investigated with respect to air mass origin included CO2 and APO background values and points with regular APO but anomalous CO2 concentrations. Background values were associated with free tropospheric air masses with little contact with the boundary layer during the last few days, while high or low CO2 concentrations reflect the various levels of influence of anthropogenic emissions and the biosphere. The pronounced cycles of CO2 and O2 exchanges with the biosphere and the ocean cause clusters of points and lead to a seasonal pattern.
Analytical system for carbon stable isotope measurements of light non-methane hydrocarbons
Authors: Zuiderweg A. , Holzinger R. , Röckmann T.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. Isotope analysis can be a useful tool in constraining the budgets (sources and sinks) of atmospheric trace species and is increasingly applied for organic constituents. This may be useful in particular for investigating the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere and studying long-range. We present setup, testing and initial results from a new automated system for carbon stable isotope ratio measurements on C2 to C6 atmospheric hydrocarbons. The inlet system is flexible and allows analysis of trace gases from medium size to very large ambient air samples (5–300 L) without loss of compounds of interest. The first application of this system was the analysis of ambient air during a short campaign in August 2009 in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Results obtained agree well with previous research, but highlight the complex diurnal behavior of hydrocarbons in an urban environment.
The optical and physical properties of atmospheric aerosols over the Indian Antarctic stations during southern hemispheric summer of the International Polar Year 2007–2008
Authors: Chaubey Jai Prakash , Krishna Moorthy K. , Suresh Babu S. , Nair Vijayakumar S.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. The properties of background aerosols and their dependence on meteorological, geographical and human influence are examined using measured spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD), total mass concentration (MT) and derived number size distribution (NSD) over two distinct coastal locations of Antarctica; Maitri (70° S, 12° E, 123 m m.s.l.) and Larsemann Hills (LH; 69° S, 77° E, 48 m m.s.l.) during southern hemispheric summer of 2007–2008 as a part of the 27th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (ISEA) during International Polar Year (IPY). Our investigations showed comparable values for the mean columnar AOD at 500 nm over Maitri (0.034±0.005) and LH (0.032±0.006) indicating good spatial homogeneity in the columnar aerosol properties over the coastal Antarctica. Estimation of Angstrom exponent α showed accumulation mode dominance at Maitri (α~1.2±0.3) and coarse mode dominance at LH (0.7±0.2). On the other hand, mass concentration (MT) of ambient aerosols showed relatively high values (≈8.25±2.87 μg m−3) at Maitri in comparison to LH (6.03±1.33 μg m−3).
Constraining global methane emissions and uptake by ecosystems
Authors: Spahni R. , Wania R. , Neef L. , van Weele M. , Pison I. , Bousquet P. , Frankenberg C. , Foster P. N. , Joos F. , Prentice I. C. , van Velthoven P.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. Natural methane (CH4) emissions from wet ecosystems are an important part of today's global CH4 budget. Climate affects the exchange of CH4 between ecosystems and the atmosphere by influencing CH4 production, oxidation, and transport in the soil. The net CH4 exchange depends on ecosystem hydrology, soil and vegetation characteristics. Here, the LPJ-WHyMe global dynamical vegetation model is used to simulate global net CH4 emissions for different ecosystems: northern peatlands (45°–90° N), naturally inundated wetlands (60° S–45° N), rice agriculture and wet mineral soils. Mineral soils are a potential CH4 sink, but can also be a source with the direction of the net exchange depending on soil moisture content. The geographical and seasonal distributions are evaluated against multi-dimensional atmospheric inversions for 2003–2005, using two independent four-dimensional variational assimilation systems. The atmospheric inversions are constrained by the atmospheric CH4 observations of the SCIAMACHY satellite instrument and global surface networks. Compared to LPJ-WHyMe the inversions result in a significant reduction in the emissions from northern peatlands and suggest that LPJ-WHyMe maximum annual emissions peak about one month late. The inversions do not put strong constraints on the division of sources between inundated wetlands and wet mineral soils in the tropics. Based on the inversion results we adapt model parameters in LPJ-WHyMe and simulate the surface exchange of CH4 over the period 1990–2008. Over the whole period we infer an increase of global ecosystem CH4 emissions of +1.11 Tg CH4 yr−1, not considering potential additional changes in wetland extent. The increase in simulated CH4 emissions is attributed to enhanced soil respiration resulting from the observed rise in land temperature and in atmospheric carbon dioxide that were used as input. The long-term decline of the atmospheric CH4 growth rate from 1990 to 2006 cannot be fully explained with the simulated ecosystem emissions. However, these emissions show an increasing trend of +3.62 Tg CH4 yr−1 over 2005–2008 which can partly explain the renewed increase in atmospheric CH4 concentration during recent years.
Oceanic tracer and proxy time scales revisited
Authors: Siberlin C. , Wunsch C.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. Quantifying time-responses of the ocean to tracer input is important to the interpretation of paleodata from sediment cores – because surface-injected tracers do not instantaneously spread throughout the ocean. To obtain insights into the time response, a computationally efficient state-transition matrix method is demonstrated and used to compute successive states of passive tracer concentrations in the global ocean. Times to equilibrium exceed a thousand years for regions of the global ocean outside of the injection and convective areas and concentration gradients give time-lags from hundreds to thousands of years between the Atlantic and Pacific abyss, depending on the injection region and the nature of the boundary conditions employed. Equilibrium times can be much longer than radiocarbon ages – both because the latter are strongly biased towards the youngest fraction of fluid captured in a sample, and because they represent distinct physical properties. Use of different boundary conditions – concentration, or flux – produces varying response times, with the latter depending directly upon pulse duration. With pulses, the sometimes very different transient approach to equilibrium in various parts of the ocean generates event identification problems.
A dynamic approach for evaluating coarse scale satellite soil moisture products
Authors: Loew A. , Schlenz F.
Published: January 2011

Abstract. Validating coarse scale remote sensing soil moisture products requires a comparison of gridded data to point-like ground measurements. The necessary aggregation of in situ measurements to the footprint scale of a satellite sensor (>100 km2) introduces uncertainties in the validation of the satellite soil moisture product. Observed differences between the satellite product and in situ data are therefore partly attributable to these aggregation uncertainties. The present paper investigates different approaches to disentangle the error of the satellite product from the uncertainties associated to the up-scaling of the reference data. A novel approach is proposed, which allows for the quantification of the remote sensing soil moisture error using a temporally adaptive technique. It is shown that the point-to-area sampling error can be estimated within 0.0084 [m3/m3].