bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mecanismos moleculares de ação anti-inflamatória e antioxidante de polifenóis de uvas e vinho tinto na aterosclerose
Authors: Séfora-Sousa M. , De Angelis-Pereira M.C.
Published: February 2014

Este trabalho visa investigar os possíveis mecanismos moleculares de ação dos polifenóis de uvas e vinho tinto contra os processos oxidativos e inflamatórios envolvidos na aterosclerose. Trata-se de um estudo de revisão de literatura realizado por meio de buscas nas bases de dados PubMed e ScienceDirect utilizando os seguintes descritores: vinho tinto, uva, polifenóis, resveratrol, aterosclerose, LDL-oxidada, inflamação, estresse oxidativo, NF-kB, AP-1, Nrf2, SIRT-1, MicroRNA. Embora tais mecanismos ainda não estejam totalmente esclarecidos, os estudos indicam que compostos fenólicos presentes em uvas podem se complexar com metais (como ferro e cobre) que provocam peroxidação dos lipídios, aumentam a atividade antioxidante do plasma, associam-se com a LDL-c aumentando sua resistência à oxidação, preservam a atividade da enzima paraoxonase, neutralizam radicais livres, e ativam fatores de transcrição como o Nrf2, que aumenta a expressão de genes que codificam proteínas importantes na defesa antioxidante, como a superóxido dismutase e a glutationa peroxidase. Além disso, os polifenóis inibem a fosforilação de MAP quinases, inibindo assim os fatores de transcrição NF-kB e AP-1 e, consequentemente, reduzindo a síntese do TNF-á, interleucinas, moléculas de adesão e quimiocinas. Também inibem a atividade das enzimas cicloxigenase e lipoxigenase. Outro mecanismo proposto é a ação do resveratrol sobre a atividade de deacetilases de histonas, como a SITR-1. Estas ações em conjunto reduzem a oxidação da LDL-c e o processo inflamatório, atenuando o processo aterogênico.
Gestação na adolescência: descrição e análise da assistência recebida
Authors: Caminha Náira de Oliveira , Freitas Lydia Vieira , Lima Thaís Marques , Gomes Linicarla Fabíole de Souza , Herculano Marta Maria Soares , Damasceno Ana Kelve de Castro
Published: February 2014

Objetiva-se descrever e analisar a assistência pré-natal às adolescentes, em relação ao Programa de Humanização no Pré-natal e Nascimento (PHPN), através de um estudo descritivo, transversal e quantitativo realizado entre março e julho de 2009, a partir de formulário e entrevista com 200 adolescentes, em maternidade de referência em obstetrícia do SUS. As jovens realizaram pré-natal em serviço público (96,4%), o iniciaram no primeiro trimestre (47,4%), não obtiveram o mínimo de consultas (52,6%), receberam suplemento de ferro (96,9%), imunização antitetânica (80,5%) e foram pouco orientadas (46,0%). Quanto aos exames laboratoriais, foram realizados na primeira consulta (80,0%), sendo apenas um terço deles repetidos no terceiro trimestre gestacional. Conclui-se que o PHPN não está sendo realizado integralmente, conforme o Ministério da Saúde preconiza, e a assistência pré-natal deve ser melhorada, principalmente na captação precoce, continuidade da assistência, solicitação da segunda amostra dos exames e oferta de orientações.
Infecções relacionadas à assistência em saúde e gravidade clínica em uma unidade de terapia intensiva
Authors: Oliveira Adriana Cristina , Paula Adriana Oliveira , Iquiapaza Robert Aldo , Lacerda Ana Clara de Souza
Published: February 2014

Objetivou-se verificar a possível associação entre a severidade clínica e a ocorrência de infecções relacionadas à assistência em saúde. Conduziu-se uma coorte prospectiva em uma unidade de terapia intensiva de um hospital universitário de agosto de 2009 a fevereiro de 2010. Utilizou-se o Average Severity Index Score para avaliar a severidade clínica. Os dados foram coletados por vigilância ativa e processados no SPSS. Realizou-se análise univariada e considerou-se significância estatística p<0,05, com intervalo de confiança de 95%. O índice de severidade esteve relacionado à ocorrência de infecções, assim como tempo de permanência na unidade de terapia intensiva, tipo de paciente, uso de procedimento invasivo, antimicrobiano, colonização e desfecho do paciente (p<0,05). A presença de infecções foi um fator preditivo para a ocorrência de óbitos (p=0,000). Tais achados reforçam a ideia de que a ocorrência de infecção constitui uma complexa cadeia, multifatorial com destaque para a severidade clínica do paciente.
Internação domiciliar do paciente terminal: o olhar do cuidador familiar
Authors: Oliveira Stefanie Griebeler , Quintana Alberto Manuel , Denardin-Budó Maria de Lourdes , Moraes Natália de Andrade de , Lüdtke Manoela Fonseca , Cassel Paula Argemi
Published: February 2014

O presente estudo buscou conhecer as relações entre paciente, cuidadores familiares e equipe de saúde, na internação domiciliar, sob o olhar do cuidador familiar. Trata-se de um estudo qualitativo com 11 cuidadores familiares de doentes terminais, cadastrados em um serviço de internação domiciliar de um hospital universitário do sul do Brasil. A coleta de dados se realizou através de entrevistas narrativas, que foram gravadas e transcritas para serem tratadas por meio de análise de conteúdo. A partir da análise dos dados, foram construídas três categorias: relações entre cuidador familiar, paciente e equipe de saúde; consciência da terminalidade do paciente: o olhar do cuidador; e situação de terminalidade ocultada ao paciente. Elas abordam como ocorrem as relações na internação domiciliar entre os seres que cuidam, como os profissionais de saúde e cuidadores familiares, e os seres cuidados, como os pacientes, explicitando o quanto a comunicação é importante nesse contexto de cuidado.
Processo de trabalho dos agentes comunitários de saúde: possibilidades e limites
Authors: Costa Marta Cocco da , Silva Ethel Bastos da , Jahn Alice do Carmo , Resta Darielli Gindri , Colom Isabel Cristina dos Santos , Carli Rafaela de
Published: February 2014

No presente estudo, objetiva-se conhecer e analisar o processo de trabalho dos Agentes Comunitários de Saúde (ACS) de um município da região Noroeste do Rio Grande do Sul, em uma abordagem qualitativa. A coleta de dados foi realizada mediante entrevista semiestruturada, aplicada a 23 ACS, e, para a análise dos dados, utilizou-se Análise de Conteúdo Temática. Os resultados evidenciaram, dentre as possibilidades: comunicação com as famílias atendidas, formação de vínculo e valorização/satisfação do profissional pela comunidade. Dentre os limites: dificuldade de trabalhar em equipe; dificuldade em realizar trabalhos coletivos na comunidade; remuneração baixa/sobrecarga de trabalho e falta de qualificação. Evidenciou-se a necessidade de reorganização do processo de trabalho desses profissionais, com maior investimento na formação e instrumentalização, por meio da adoção da política de educação permanente.
Immature argasid ticks: diagnosis and keys for Neotropical region
Authors: Barros-Battesti Darci Moraes , Ramirez Diego Garcia , Landulfo Gabriel Alves , Faccini João Luiz Horácio , Dantas-Torres Filipe , Labruna Marcelo Bahia , Venzal José Manuel , Onofrio Valeria Castilho
Published: February 2014

Many argasid tick species are known only through their larval descriptions, in which the chaetotaxy, together with other external morphological characteristics, has been used to separate genera and species. However, the illustrations of these features are based on optical microscopy alone and many of these features are not clearly defined. Because of the difficulties in determining the larval and nymph stages of some genera, we have prepared illustrated keys for the immature stages of argasids, including an up-to-date list of the known species of the Neotropical region. We have also included an illustrated key for larvae of the Ornithodorosspecies from Brazil, based on scanning electron microscopy.
Endohelminths in Cichla piquiti(Perciformes, Cichlidae) from the Paraná River, São Paulo State, Brazil
Authors: Franceschini Lidiane , Zago Aline Cristina , Zocoller-Seno Maria Conceição , Veríssimo-Silveira Rosicleire , Ninhaus-Silveira Alexandre , Silva Reinaldo José da
Published: February 2014

Fifty specimens of Cichla piquiti were collected from the Paraná River downstream of the Ilha Solteira Hydroelectric Power Station in Brazil and surveyed for endohelminth parasites. All fish were parasitised by at least one helminth species (overall prevalence [P] = 100%). Eight parasite taxa were present: the nematode Procamallanus(Procamallanus) peraccuratus in the intestines; third-stage larvae of the anisakids Contracaecumsp. and Hysterothylacium sp. in the visceral cavity, mesentery and serosa of the stomach and intestines and on the liver and spleen; the trematodes Austrodiplostomum compactum in the eye (metacercariae) and Genarchella genarchella in the stomach; and the cestodes Proteocephalus macrophallus, Proteocephalus microscopicus, and Sciadocephalus megalodiscus in the intestines. Hysterothylaciumsp. larvae (P = 86%) and P. microscopicus (P = 74%) were the most prevalent parasites. Anisakids were more prevalent and abundant in the dry season. A negative correlation between the abundances of Hysterothylacium sp. and P. microscopicuswas observed, suggesting a competitive/antagonistic relationship between these parasites. Cichla piquiti represents a new host for four parasite species. These new records significantly increase the list of parasites of C. piquiti, contributing to the knowledge of the host-parasite relationship and the geographical distribution of these helminths.
Helminths of Steindachnerina insculptain two distinct stretches of the Taquari River, state of São Paulo, Brazil
Authors: Acosta Aline Angelina , Queiroz Jamile , Brandão Heleno , Carvalho Edmir Daniel , Silva Reinaldo Jose da
Published: February 2014

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the helminth fauna of Steindachnerina insculpta in the Taquari River, a tributary of the Jurumirim reservoir in the state of São Paulo, and to investigate whether some helminth species may act as a bioindicator of environmental impact. The host fish sample was composed of 60 specimens, with 30 individuals sampled in a lotic stretch and 30 in a lentic stretch. The following were found: the monogeneans Anacanthoroides mizelli, Diaphorocleidus kabatai, Urocleidoides sp. and Euryhaliotrema chaoi; the digenean Sphincterodiplostomum musculosum and unidentified metacercariae; the nematode Travnema travnema and unidentified larvae; and the acanthocephalan Gorytocephalus plecostomorum. The total prevalence of monogeneans (z = 3.14; p = 0.002) and A. mizelli (z = 3.879; p ≤ 0.001), as well as the mean abundance of total monogeneans (U = 642.0; p ≤ 0.001) and A. mizelli (U = 623.5; p ≤ 0.001), were higher in the lentic stretch. Steindachnerina insculpta and its monogeneans comprise a potential group that could be used to investigate environmental impact, as demonstrated in this study.
Neospora spp. antibodies in horses from two geographical regions of the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil
Authors: Moura Anderson Barbosa de , Silva Márcio Orides da , Farias Juliana Antunes , Vieira-Neto Achilles , Souza Antonio Pereira de , Sartor Amélia Aparecida , Fonteque Joandes Henrique , Bunn Silvério
Published: February 2014

The aims of this study were to determine occurrences ofNeospora spp. IgG antibodies in horses from two geographical regions of the state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, and identify risk factors for infection. Analyses were performed on 615 samples using the immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT ≥ 1:50). Out of the 615 samples, 25 (4.1%) were positive for Neospora spp. The titers for Neospora spp. were distributed as follows: 1:50 (13), 1:100 (eight), 1:200 (three) and 1:400 (one). Out of the 311 samples taken in the mountain region, eight were positive (2.6%). Among the samples from the coastal region (304), 17 had Neospora spp. antibodies, thus indicating occurrence of 5.6%. Although no statistically significant difference was observed (P = 0.06704), the prevalence among animals of the coast was 2.2 times higher than that of the mountain region. Contact with dogs and/or cattle (P = 0.007596) were identified as risk factor forNeospora spp. infection.
Use of a negative binomial distribution to describe the presence of Sphyrion laevigatum in Genypterus blacodes
Authors: Peña-Rehbein Patricio , Ríos-Escalante Patricio De los , Castro Raúl , Navarrete Carolina
Published: February 2014

This paper describes the frequency and number of Sphyrion laevigatum in the skin of Genypterus blacodes, an important economic resource in Chile. The analysis of a spatial distribution model indicated that the parasites tended to cluster. Variations in the number of parasites per host could be described by a negative binomial distribution. The maximum number of parasites observed per host was two.
The European Cancer Patient's Bill of Rights: Action Steps for Success
Authors: Friese Christopher R. , Ayanian John Z.
Published: February 2014

The European Cancer Concord (ECC) has partnered with patients, caregivers, clinicians, and advocates to construct three articles that form a Patient's Bill of Rights. We propose four key action steps that will advance the agenda of the ECC. These include (a) robust cancer registries, (b) monitoring of quality of care, (c) broader stakeholder engagement, and (d) dissemination of best practices.
Numerical modelling of strip footing on geocell-reinforced beds
Authors: Aboobacker Faby Mole Pothiyil , Saride Sireesh , Madhira Madhav Rama
Published: February 2014

Geosynthetics in the form of three-dimensional geocells has been in use for some time to improve the performance of foundations. A mathematical formulation was developed to predict the behaviour of a rigid strip footing resting on a geocell-reinforced granular layer overlying soft soil. The combined geocell-reinforced granular layer and the soft soil were considered as Pasternak shear layer and a series of Winkler springs, respectively. Both linear and non-linear responses of the reinforced bed were considered in the analysis, which corresponded to low (< 1% of footing width) and high footing settlements (> 1% of footing width), respectively. An iterative finite-difference scheme was employed to obtain the solution for the governing differential equations and the results are presented in non-dimensional form. The present model was validated with two independent experimental test data by comparing the load–deformation patterns which indicated good agreement. Combined soil–geocell properties were varied to obtain the improved load-carrying capacity of the reinforced ground. It was found that the shear stiffness of the reinforced granular bed, namely the product of shear modulus and height of the geocell in a granular bed, plays an important role in improving the performance of the reinforced bed. The effect of shear layer width, shear stiffness of the geocell-reinforced ground and ultimate bearing capacity of the soft soil that brings in variation in improvement of the ground were analysed and the results are presented in terms of design charts.
Elevated elephant density does not improve ecotourism opportunities: convergence in social and ecological objectives
Authors: Maciejewski Kristine , Kerley Graham I. H.
Published: February 2014

In order to sustainably conserve biodiversity, many protected areas, particularly private protected areas, must find means of self‐financing. Ecotourism is increasingly seen as a mechanism to achieve such financial sustainability. However, there is concern that ecotourism operations are driven to achieve successful game‐viewing, influencing the management of charismatic species. An abundance of such species, including the African elephant (Loxodonta africana), has been stocked in protected areas under the assumption that they will increase ecotourism value. At moderate to high densities, the impact of elephants is costly; numerous studies have documented severe changes in biodiversity through the impacts of elephants. Protected areas that focus on maintaining high numbers of elephants may therefore face a conflict between socioeconomic demands and the capacity of ecological systems. We address this conflict by analyzing tourist elephant‐sighting records from six private and one statutory protected area, the Addo Elephant National Park (AENP), in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, in relation to elephant numbers. We found no relationship between elephant density and elephant‐viewing success. Even though elephant density in the AENP increased over time, a hierarchical partitioning analysis indicated that elephant density was not a driver of tourist numbers. In contrast, annual tourist numbers for the AENP were positively correlated with general tourist numbers recorded for South Africa. Our results indicate that the socioeconomic and ecological requirements of protected areas in terms of tourism and elephants, respectively, converge. Thus, high elephant densities and their associated ecological costs are not required to support ecotourism operations for financial sustainability. Understanding the social and ecological feedbacks that dominate the dynamics of protected areas, particularly within private protected areas, can help to elucidate the management challenges of minimizing ecological trade‐offs while meeting ecotourist demands and achieving sustainability.
Assessing habitat connectivity for ground‐dwelling animals in an urban environment
Authors: Braaker S. , Moretti M. , Boesch R. , Ghazoul J. , Obrist M. K. , Bontadina F.
Published: February 2014

To ensure viable species populations in fragmented landscapes, individuals must be able to move between suitable habitat patches. Despite the increased interest in biodiversity assessment in urban environments, the ecological relevance of habitat connectivity in highly fragmented landscapes remains largely unknown. The first step to understanding the role of habitat connectivity in urban ecology is the challenging task of assessing connectivity in the complex patchwork of contrasting habitats that is found in cities.

We developed a data‐based framework, minimizing the use of subjective assumptions, to assess habitat connectivity that consists of the following sequential steps: (1) identification of habitat preference based on empirical habitat‐use data; (2) derivation of habitat resistance surfaces evaluating various transformation functions; (3) modeling of different connectivity maps with electrical circuit theory (Circuitscape), a method considering all possible pathways across the landscape simultaneously; and (4) identification of the best connectivity map with information‐theoretic model selection. We applied this analytical framework to assess habitat connectivity for the European hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus, a model species for ground‐dwelling animals, in the city of Zurich, Switzerland, using GPS track points from 40 individuals.

The best model revealed spatially explicit connectivity “pinch points,” as well as multiple habitat connections. Cross‐validation indicated the general validity of the selected connectivity model. The results show that both habitat connectivity and habitat quality affect the movement of urban hedgehogs (relative importance of the two variables was 19.2% and 80.8%, respectively), and are thus both relevant for predicting urban animal movements.

Our study demonstrates that even in the complex habitat patchwork of cities, habitat connectivity plays a major role for ground‐dwelling animal movement. Data‐based habitat connectivity maps can thus serve as an important tool for city planners to identify habitat corridors and plan appropriate management and conservation measures for urban animals. The analytical framework we describe to model such connectivity maps is generally applicable to different types of habitat‐use data and can be adapted to the movement scale of the focal species. It also allows evaluation of the impact of future landscape changes or management scenarios on habitat connectivity in urban landscapes.
Toward predicting community‐level effects of climate: relative temperature scaling of metabolic and ingestion rates
Authors: Iles Alison C.
Published: February 2014

Predicting the effects of climate change on ecological communities requires an understanding of how environmental factors influence both physiological processes and species interactions. Specifically, the net impact of temperature on community structure depends on the relative response of physiological energetic costs (metabolism) and energetic gains (ingestion of resources) that mediate the flow of energy throughout a food web. However, the relative temperature scaling of metabolic and ingestion rates have rarely been measured for multiple species within an ecological assemblage and it is not known how, and to what extent, these relative scaling differences vary among species. To investigate the relative influence of these processes, I measured the temperature scaling of metabolic and ingestion rates for a suite of rocky intertidal species using a multiple regression experimental design. I compared oxygen consumption rates (as a proxy for metabolic rate) and ingestion rates by estimating the temperature scaling parameter of the universal temperature dependence (UTD) model, a theoretical model derived from first principles of biochemical kinetics and allometry. The results show that consumer metabolic rates (energetic costs) tend to be more sensitive to temperature than ingestion rates (energetic gains). Thus, as temperature increases, metabolic rates tend to increase faster relative to ingestion rates, causing the overall energetic efficiencies of these rocky intertidal invertebrates to decline. Metabolic and ingestion rates largely scaled in accordance with the UTD model; however, nonlinearity was evident in several cases, particularly at higher temperatures, in which alternative models were more appropriate. There are few studies where multiple rate dependencies are measured on multiple species from the same ecological community. These results indicate that there may be general patterns across species in the temperature scaling of biological rates, with important implications for forecasting temperature effects on ecological communities.
Collaborative Leadership and Motivation as Examples of Education for All Goals 1, 3, 4, and 6 at Work in Seven Schools in Trinidad
Authors: Bissessar Charmaine
Published: February 2014

The underlying theoretical framework of this qualitative case study was leadership and motivation. The research questions were: What issues and challenges to effective teaching and learning do you have? What mechanisms do you use to resolve these teaching and learning issues? The issues surrounding teaching and learning were leadership and motivation. Collaborative or shared leadership consisted of team building, whilst motivation involved boosting teacher morale and promoting self-efficacy among students as its component. Each case study focused on various issues of Education For All (EFA) in schools in Trinidad. The issues of leadership and staff morale related to EFA Goal 6 and Participants 1 to 4 identified with these. Participant 5 implemented strategies to enhance four- and five-year olds' pre-writing skills, which is consistent with EFA Goal 1 of developing and improving early childcare and education. Participant 6 employed kinesthetic games to increase the capacity among students with learning disabilities to listen and respond to basic instructions. Participant 7 used real-life experiences to teach life skills to her students with learning disabilities. The intervention strategies used by Participants 6 and 7 encompassed EFA Goals 3 and 4.
The Policy of Universal Secondary Education: Its Influence on Secondary Schooling in Grenada
Authors: Knight Verna
Published: February 2014

In an era of increasing access to secondary education in the Caribbean, it becomes critical that we understand the effect that Universal Secondary Education (USE) has had on our education systems in order to inform current educational reform efforts and future educational planning. This study explores the experience of the country of Grenada with the policy of USE. The study embraces the use of mixed methodologies which included document analysis, surveys and interviews in eight secondary schools throughout the tri-island state. The study builds on previous works and contributes to a greater understanding of how policies, such as USE, can create challenges for secondary schooling if not effectively managed. The findings reveal that the implementation of USE in Grenada was challenged by literacy weaknesses and poor teacher support, and impacted school organisational practices, as well as risk factors to educational success, such as student retention, student dropout, and student discipline in schools. The findings also establish the need for further study into the practice of students' non-attendance of classes as being related to USE.
Education for All: Exploring What Student Teachers and Beginning Teachers Really Know
Authors: Onyefulu Cynthia , Williams-Shakespeare Eraldine , Thomas-James Anita
Published: February 2014

The purpose of this study was to find out what student teachers and beginning teachers from a teacher training institution knew about Education for All (EFA). The study was guided by three research questions. Two null hypotheses were tested. The participants (student teachers and beginning teachers) were from a teacher training institution in Jamaica, and an exploratory (quantitative) research design was used with a questionnaire as the data collection method. The findings showed that despite the rich literature on EFA in the Caribbean, a majority of the student teachers and the beginning teachers from this particular teacher training institution did not know much about EFA. The findings also indicated that a majority of the student teachers and the beginning teachers were in agreement with the roles teachers need to play in supporting EFA initiatives. The findings also showed that a majority of the student teachers and the beginning teachers were satisfied with the training they experienced. The results did not show any difference in the perceptions expressed by the student teachers and the beginning teachers. Recommendations are made to include EFA in the teacher training curriculum and to provide professional development programmes on EFA for beginning teachers in order to make them more aware of the EFA goals.
One Size Fits All: Perceptions of the Revised Primary Curriculum at Grades one to Three in Jamaica
Authors: Roofe Carmel G.
Published: February 2014

The attainment of Education for All (EFA) goals is crucial to the productivity of any country. However attaining these goals cannot be realised unless due consideration is given to the inputs and processes that must be enacted to achieve such goals. In this article, the Revised Primary Curriculum (RPC) used at grades one to three in Jamaican primary schools is examined against the background of two EFA goals. The two goals are: (a) ensuring access to quality primary education and (b) improving the quality of education. The study that guided this article sought to ascertain the views of teachers who teach grades one to three in public primary schools in Jamaica on the outcomes being achieved in relation to quality basic education. This qualitative study was conducted by collecting data from 11 in-service teachers who had experience delivering the RPC at grades one to three for at least two years. Data was collected through one focus group interview and five individual interviews. The group and individual interviews were transcribed, sorted, coded and themes identified. The main findings reveal that teachers felt the RPC at grades one to three needed to be reviewed in light of its content and how teachers are prepared to implement the strategies of the curriculum. Additionally participants concluded that practices of the RPC further disadvantaged students with low ability levels in areas of literacy and numeracy development, and students from rural areas were disadvantaged over students from urban areas based on some of the suggested topics for writing activities. The article concludes that these issues should be resolved in order to ensure a system that allows for quality basic education for all.
The Social Reconstructionist Approach to Teacher Education: A Necessary Component to Achieving Excellence and Quality Education for all
Authors: Mayne Hope
Published: February 2014

Improving all aspects of the quality of education is dependent on preparing teachers to become critical citizens. The social reconstructionist approach to teacher education is essential to transforming an education system defined by inequity, issues of quality, and issues of access. How do pre-service teachers perceive the mission of quality education for all in Jamaica? The findings reported in this article form part of a small scale qualitative exploratory study aimed at understanding what impacts quality education for all in Jamaica? The findings show pre-service teachers' viewed quality education for all as being impacted by a lack of quality teachers, a weak national economy, a lack of parental and community involvement in education, limited resources, and inadequate and poor physical infrastructure. On this basis, the article argues for a social reconstructionist approach to be incorporated into existing and future teacher training programmes as teachers and teacher educators are key components to improving quality education for all.
Preparing the Principal to Drive the Goals of Education for All: A Conceptual Case Developmental Model
Authors: Hutton Disraeli M.
Published: February 2014

The Education for All (EFA) goals, established for countries to improve educational performance, are most challenging for many developing countries. Notwithstanding the challenges, each country must implement suitable programme intervention in order to accomplish these goals. Goal 6 calls for the overall improvement of the education product, which is a prerequisite for decent human existence. One of the areas for capacity building is related to the leadership required to drive the performance of the education system. A conceptual case developmental model presented in this article is informed by relevant experience and evidence borne out of the local educational leadership context and practice. It focuses on the integration of the vital factors such as stakeholder ownership, candidates for training, selection process, certification and licensure and standards, which are the required ingredients for an effective, internationally-oriented training programme. The programme delivery emphasizes learning through engaging the workplace in a substantial way while pursuing the academic aspects of the training. The article concludes with a reflection on the challenges which are hampering the efforts of developing countries to achieve the EFA goals.
Trait Anxiety and Goal Difficulty on Learning to Climb the Bachman Ladder
Authors: Neiva Jaqueline F. O. , Massa Marcelo , Barros Joao A. C. , Meira Cassio M.
Published: February 2014

This study examined the effects of trait anxiety and goal setting on learning of the Bachman ladder. It was hypothesized that easy goals would increase learning for individuals with high trait anxiety while hard goals would increase learning for individuals with low trait anxiety. 80 high school students (40 boys, 40 girls; M age = 15 yr., SD = 1.0) filled out the Brazilian State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) for trait anxiety. The experiment was divided into four phases: acquisition, immediate transfer (after 5 min.), delayed transfer, and retention (after 24 hr.). On the transfer phases, the participants started climbing the ladder with the foot opposite of that used in acquisition. Participants were assigned to one of four experimental groups combining high and low anxiety traits and hard and easy goals. Variances were analyzed with repeated measurements on the last factor of all phases. The results showed the performance increased during the acquisition phase and no effects were observed in any phases.
Effect of Treadmill versus Overground Running on the Structure of Variability of Stride Timing
Authors: Lindsay Timothy R. , Noakes Timothy D. , McGregor Stephen J.
Published: February 2014

Gait timing dynamics of treadmill and overground running were compared. Nine trained runners ran treadmill and track trials at 80, 100, and 120% of preferred pace for 8 min. each. Stride time series were generated for each trial. To each series, detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA), power spectral density (PSD), and multiscale entropy (MSE) analysis were applied to infer the regime of control along the randomness–regularity axis. Compared to overground running, treadmill running exhibited a higher DFA and PSD scaling exponent, as well as lower entropy at non-preferred speeds. This indicates a more ordered control for treadmill running, especially at non-preferred speeds. The results suggest that the treadmill itself brings about greater constraints and requires increased voluntary control. Thus, the quantification of treadmill running gait dynamics does not necessarily reflect movement in overground settings.
High-Load Transit Line Passenger Transmission and Productiveness Efficiencies
Authors: Bunker Jonathan M.
Published: February 2014

The performance of urban transit systems may be quantified and assessed by using transit capacity and productive capacity in planning, design, and operational management activities. In another paper, important productive performance measures of an individual transit service and transit line were defined; these definitions are extended in this paper to quantify efficiency and operating fashion of transit services and lines. Comparison of a hypothetical bus line's operation during a morning peak hour and daytime hour demonstrates the usefulness to the operator of productiveness efficiency and passenger transmission efficiency, passenger churn, and average proportion line length traveled in understanding the productive performance, operating characteristics, and quality of service of the services and lines. Productiveness efficiency can flag potential pass-up activity under high-load conditions, as well as ineffective resource deployment. Proportion line length traveled can directly measure operating fashion. These measures can be used to compare between lines and routes and various operating scenarios and time horizons within a given line to target improvements. The next research stage is investigating within-line variation by using smart card passenger data and field observation of pass-ups. Insights will be used to further develop practical guidance for operators.
Passengers’ Perception of and Behavioral Adaptation to Unreliability in Public Transportation
Authors: Carrel Andre , Halvorsen Anne , Walker Joan L.
Published: February 2014

Reliability is regularly cited by users of public transportation as one of the most important qualities of service. However, it is not yet well understood how transit riders are affected by unreliability, particularly in the long term. To gain a better understanding of the importance of reliability, a survey focusing on users of San Francisco's public transportation system in California was developed to investigate the link between people's past experiences of unreliability and the adaptation strategies that they used. Respondents were asked to rate the importance of a number of reliability aspects; the aspects found to be most important were the absence of a gap at a transfer stop and the ability to walk up to a stop and leave within 10 min. Users also reported that they considered reliability when planning trips. Common strategies for handling unreliability were using services and routes deemed more reliable and using real-time information. In addition, an ordinal logit model linking past experiences of unreliability to a reduction in transit use was estimated. The most significant negative experiences that drove a reduction in transit use were delays perceived to be the fault of the transit agency, long waits at transfer points, and being prevented from boarding because of crowding. These results have implications in transit planning: passengers may prefer more frequent service with occasional crowding over less frequent buses that are larger and less crowded. In addition, the growing use of real-time information services will continue to affect how people view transit service and perhaps even intensify the unattractiveness of infrequent service.
Constitutive Modeling of Fatigue Damage Response of Asphalt Concrete Materials
Authors: Darabi Masoud K. , Al-Rub Rashid K. Abu , Masad Eyad A. , Little Dallas N.
Published: February 2014

The fatigue damage response of asphalt concrete is modeled with a proposed damage evolution function in the context of continuum damage healing mechanics. The uniaxial constant strain rate test is used to identify damage density experimentally during this test and to propose a form for the evolution of the damage density variable in the model. In addition, the model is formulated to include the microdamage healing effect. The proposed damage model is incorporated in the pavement analysis with a nonlinear damage approach model that includes Schapery's viscoelastic model, Perzyna's viscoplastic model, and the microdamage healing model, which is used to simulate the fatigue damage response of asphalt concrete. The damage model is validated against extensive experimental data, including constant strain rate, cyclic displacement-controlled tests, and cyclic stress-controlled tests over a range of temperatures, strain rates, loading frequencies, and stress–strain levels and amplitudes. Model predictions show that the proposed damage model is capable of predicting the fatigue damage response of asphalt concrete subjected to different loading conditions.
Three-Dimensional Microstructural Modeling of Asphalt Concrete by Use of X-Ray Computed Tomography
Authors: You Taesun , Al-Rub Rashid K. Abu , Masad Eyad A. , Little Dallas N.
Published: February 2014

This paper presents a framework that combines experimental techniques and computational methods for modeling the microscopic response of asphalt mixtures subjected to various loading conditions. The basis of this framework is capturing the three-dimensional microstructure of asphalt mixtures with X-ray computed tomography and a sequence of image-processing methods to identify the microstructure components or mixture phases. This microstructure is then converted to a finite element model in which the various phases are represented with constitutive models that describe their mechanical behavior. In this study, the coarse aggregate phase was modeled as a linear elastic material, and the matrix phase (asphalt, fine particles, and air voids) was represented as a thermoviscoelastic, viscoplastic, and damage model. The analysis results showed that the model captured the effects of temperature, rate of loading, repeated loads, and mixture design on the microstructure response. These results demonstrate that the developed framework will help engineers and researchers to understand the effects of mixture design and material properties on performance and to establish the link between microscopic response and macroscopic behavior.
Nonlinear Viscoelastic Behavior of Asphalt Concrete and Its Implication for Fatigue Modeling
Authors: Underwood B. Shane , Kim Y. Richard
Published: February 2014

Mechanistic models for asphalt concrete (AC) can consider many different physical mechanisms. However, as more mechanisms are considered, the complexity increases, and it becomes important to balance accuracy and complexity to create a model that can be used by the engineering community. In some cases, the material response is dominated by the effects of only some key processes, and smearing the effects of the minor ones is acceptable. In other cases, many processes are important and need to be considered. In this paper, the importance of modeling the nonlinear viscoelasticity (NLVE) of AC for fatigue response prediction is assessed. Two mechanistic hypotheses are considered for describing this phenomenon: linear viscoelastic with damage and NLVE with damage. The importance of explicitly considering NLVE effects under fatigue loading is evaluated with laboratory tests, the simplified viscoelastic continuum damage (S-VECD) model, and an NLVE form of the S-VECD model. These two models are characterized and used to simulate and compare AC fatigue response under constant and random controlled stress and strain conditions. It is found that while the NLVE-based formulation better represents the material response in random loading and suggests less overall damage accumulation during fatigue, the two models predict similar amounts of modulus reduction. The primary conclusion from this study is that because the goal for fatigue assessment is to find the change in modulus over a long period of time, fatigue response modeling of AC does not need to explicitly consider NLVE.
Spatiotemporal Data Warehouse for Vehicle Supervision
Authors: Hu Ji-Hua , Cheng Zhi-Feng , Zhan Cheng-Zhi , Tang Wei
Published: February 2014

The large amounts of spatiotemporal data generated by vehicle supervision systems cannot be efficiently managed by ordinary databases, mainly because of long query responses. To overcome the limitations of ordinary databases, this paper proposes a new approach, the grid time (GT)–indexed cube, which is a spatial grid–indexed, adaptive grid-based, trajectory-supported warehouse for spatiotemporal data. The GT cube partitions an embedded space–time into a set of size-fixed grids to form a cube that continues to grow throughout a constant time interval. Each grid is assigned an identifier composed of its coordinates and start time, and an aggregated value for each grid is stored in the grid records, regardless of the temporal length of the queries. Additionally, the basic grid structure of the GT cube remains unchanged at each time interval. Instead, this method refines the grid in a selected region to handle data skewing by adaptively partitioning the grid into subgrids. After extensive performance studies were conducted with spatiotemporal data from the main vehicle supervision system of Guangdong Province, China, it was observed that the GT cube achieved higher query performance than ordinary data storage technologies under various operational conditions, was easily applicable in practice, and demonstrated compatibility with traditional databases.
Systems Thinking for Knowledge Transfer in Organic and Mechanistic Organizations
Authors: Crichton-Sumners Camille , Mansouri Mo , Sauser Brian
Published: February 2014

Research units in state government transportation agencies exist within traditionally hierarchical, or mechanistic, organizations. They manage and conduct research studies and ensure the successful transfer of knowledge through both inter- and intraorganizational relationships and through knowledge transfer activities. These activities may entail the transfer of knowledge at the local, state, federal or international level. Improving knowledge transfer ultimately improves organizational performance. Use of Burns and Stalkers’ dualism—mechanistic versus organic management systems—to describe government organizations aids in the recognition of the current condition and in the identification of the characteristics of an environment that will be more conducive to efficient knowledge transfer. This information will help decision makers within these organizations to select the appropriate organizational structure, or processes, to enhance knowledge transfer. The increasing amount of information and growing organizational complexity require a systems thinking approach to identifying opportunities for improvement within these organizations. This paper describes how systems thinking can aid in exploring knowledge transfer within organic and mechanistic state government organizations and offers contributions to the body of knowledge concerning government entities and intentional knowledge transfer.
From the Desk of the Editor-in-Chief Vol.4(1)
Authors: Khan Md Aminul Haque
Published: February 2014

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jemc.v4i1.18048 Journal of Enam Medical College Vol 4 No 1 2014
Are We Writing a Good Discharge Summary?
Authors: Parvin Rukhsana
Published: February 2014

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jemc.v4i1.18061 Journal of Enam Medical College Vol 4 No 1 2014: 4-5
Evaluation of Performance of the Newly Developed de Cordova's Formula for Calculation of Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol without Use of Triglycerides
Authors: Siddique Abdul Hai , Saiedullah Muhammad , Chowdhury Nasreen , Khan Md Aminul Haque
Published: February 2014

Background: Various formulas are available to estimate serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. All of these are serum triglycerides (TG) dependent. But very recently de Cordova et al developed a simple formula (CF) to calculate LDL cholesterol without using serum TG and claimed it to be more accurate than Friedewald.s formula (FF). Objective: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the performance of the CF for the calculation of LDL cholesterol in a Bangladeshi population. Materials and Methods: Three hundred and sixty adult Bangladeshi subjects were purposively included in this study. Serum total cholesterol (TC), TG, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and LDL cholesterol were measured by direct automated methods. LDL cholesterol was also calculated by CF and FF. Results were expressed in conventional unit as mean ± SD and compared by two-tailed paired t test, bias against measured LDL cholesterol, Pearson's correlation coefficient (r), Passing & Bablok regression and accuracy within ±10% of the measured LDL cholesterol. Results: The mean values of directly measured LDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol calculated by CF and FF were 117.7 ± 31.0, 111.8 ± 31.0 and 108.9 ± 39.7 mg/dL respectively. Bias of calculated LDL cholesterol against measured LDL cholesterol was -5.2% for CF and -9.6% for FF. The correlation coefficients of measured LDL cholesterol were 0.9796 (p<0.001) for CF and 0.9525 (p<0.001) for FF. Passing & Bablok regression yielded the equation y = 0.9938x - 6.2 for CF and y = 1.2774x - 40.9 for FF. Accuracy within ±10% of measured LDL cholesterol was 81% for CF and 49% for FF. Conclusion: This study revealed better performance of the de Cordova's formula than Friedewald's formula for approximate calculation of LDL cholesterol without using serum triglycerides. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jemc.v4i1.18062 J Enam Med Col 2014; 4(1): 10-14