Aim of the study. To explore and evaluate the frequency of stress and psychological violence experienced at work by nurses working at Kaunas district health care institutions, and to evaluate factors that cause stress and psychological violence. Methods. Information has been gathered using anonymous questionnaires distributed among 152 nurses working at health care institutions in Kaunas district. Statistical evaluation of the obtained data was performed using SPSS 12.0/w software package. Results. We found that 73.7% of nurses experienced stress. A statistically reliable relationship was detected between critical situations at home, workload, and stress (p<0.01). 11.2% of nurses felt absolutely unsafe and 41.4% - unsafe about retaining their work position in the future. 12.5% of nurses experienced psychological violence at work. Psychological violence towards nurses most frequently resulted from backbiting and rumours, lack of information affecting job quality and performance, and reminding about mistakes made at work. A statistically reliable relationship was found between negative experience at work and poor health estimation. Nurses who were ignored and isolated at work (p<0.05, OR 2.76 CI (1.07;7.10)), experienced (p<0.01, OR 3.71 CI(1.44; 9.52)), humiliation, and mockery (p<0.0001, OR 5.07 CI (2.07;12.41)) had a higher probability of evaluating their health as poor. 33.6% of nurses experienced patients’ and their relatives’ threats, and 2% of nurses experienced... [to full text]

Aims of the study–to investigate the associations between school bullying, psychological injuries in the family and health outcomes among students. Methods Questionnaire information on bullying by methods of D. Olweus, Norwegian scientist. The psychological state was measured by the sense of coherence, self-esteem, loneliness, happiness, and communication skills. Health outcomes were headache, stomach ache, back pain, anxiety, etc. Family injuries were stress in the family, domestic violence, crisis. Totally 588 students were investigated among all the 670 studying in X Kaunas gymnasium. Response rate 87.8%. Results. Totally 138 (23.6%) were involved in the bullying process, among them 76 (12.9%) were bullied frequently, 46(7.8%) were bullies and 16 (2.7%) were involved in the two-way bullying process. The prevalence of frequent bullying among boys was 58 (24.1%) and among girls 34 (9.8%) (p<0.0001), among 5-9 grades it was 72 (18.3%) and among 10-12 grades 20(10.3%) (p=0.012). Though the prevalence of bullies was more often among 10-12 grades-29 (14.9 %) than 5-9 grades 33 (8.4%, p=0.015). 11.8% of students suffered from severe conflicts in the family and permanent tension. Crises (divorces, death or incurable disease of the close family member, severe financial problems) were met by 15.1%. Stress at home 6 times increased the risk of low sense of coherence, 8 times the risk of poor self-rated health, while frequent bullying 4 times in the 5-9 grades group. Though the... [to full text]

We assessed how estimates of need-expected inpatient hospital use differ depending on whether need-expected use was estimated for a population of all Canadians, Canadian health regions, or a subpopulation of higher income Canadians, who likely had minimal healthcare access problems. Data came from the 2009/2010 Canadian Community Health Survey, a national cross-sectional survey. Using zero-inflated negative binomial regression, we modeled inpatient hospital use separately based on the three aforementioned choices of population. We adjusted for demographic, health behaviour, health status, socioeconomic, and health care supply factors. We then estimated need-expected inpatient hospital use and compared the estimates across individuals and by income and province. The three choices of population that we used in this study had similar results. Our estimates of the average need-expected use by province or income group were not sensitive to the choice of population used to estimate need-expected use.

<p>Nitric oxide (NO) is an endogenous gaseous signaling molecule produced by three NO synthase isoforms (NOS1, 2, 3) and important in host defense. The induction of NOS2 during bacterial sepsis is critical for pathogen clearance but its sustained activation has long been associated with increased mortality secondary to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). High levels of NO produced by NOS2 incite intrinsic cellular dysfunction, in part by damaging macromolecules through nitration and/or nitrosylation. These include mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and enzymes of key mitochondrial pathways required for maintenance of normal O2 utilization and energy homeostasis. However, animal studies and clinical trials inhibiting NOS2 have demonstrated pronounced organ dysfunction and increased mortality in response to live bacterial infections, confirming that NOS2 confers pro-survival benefits. Of particular interest here, the constitutive NOS1 and NOS3 have been linked to the up-regulation of nuclear genes involved in mitochondrial biogenesis but no comparable role has been described for NOS2. <italic> Therefore, I hypothesized that NOS2 is indispensible for host protection but must be tightly regulated to ensure NO levels are high enough to activate mitochondrial and other pro-survival genes, but below the threshold for cellular damage.</italic></p><p>This hypothesis was explored with two major Aims. The <italic>first Aim</italic> was to define the role of NOS2 in the activation of mitochondrial biogenesis in the heart of <italic>E. coli</italic>-treated mice. The <italic>second</italic> was to investigate the ability of NOS2 to be transcriptionally regulated by an enzyme previously shown to induce mitochondrial biogenesis, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). This hypothesis was tested using an <italic>in vivo</italic> model of sublethal heat-killed <italic>E. coli</italic> (<italic>HkEC</italic>) peritonitis in C57B/L6 (Wt), NOS2-/-, and TLR4-/- mice. Additionally, <italic>in vitro</italic> systems of mouse AML-12 or Hepa 1-6 cells pretreated with HO-1 activators or <italic>Hmox1</italic> shRNA prior to inflammatory challenge with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) +/- tumor necrosis factor-&alpha; (TNF-&alpha;). For the first Aim, Wt, NOS2-/-, and TLR4-/- mice were treated with (<italic>HkEC</italic> and cardiac tissue analyzed for mitochondrial function, expression of nuclear and mitochondrial proteins needed for mitochondrial biogenesis, and histological expression of NOS2 and TLR4 relative to changes in mitochondrial mass. For the second Aim, Wt mice were pretreated with hemin or carbon monoxide (CO) to activate HO-1 prior to <italic>HkEC</italic>-peritonitis. Liver tissue in these animals was evaluated at four hours for HO-1 induction, <italic>Nos2</italic> mRNA expression, cytokine profiles, and nuclear factor (NF)-&kappa;B activation. Liver cell lines were pretreated with hemin, CO-releasing molecule (CORM), or bilirubin one hour before LPS exposure and the <italic>Nos2</italic> transcriptional response evaluated at two and 24 hours. The MTT assay was used to confirm that <italic>in vitro</italic> treatments were not lethal. </p><p>These studies demonstrated that <italic>HkEC</italic> induced mtDNA damage in the heart that was repaired in Wt mice but not in NOS2-deficient mice. In KO mice, sustained mtDNA damage was associated with the reduced expression of nuclear (NRF-1, PGC-1&alpha;) and mitochondrial (Tfam, Pol-&gamma;) proteins needed for mitochondrial biogenesis. The findings thus supported that NOS2 is required for mitochondrial biogenesis in the heart during Gram-negative challenge. Evaluation of the relationship between HO-1 and NOS2 in murine liver was more complex; HO-1 activation in <italic>HkEC</italic>-treated Wt mice attenuated 4-hour <italic>Nos2</italic> gene transcription. In liver cell lines, hemin, CORM, and bilirubin were unable to suppress <italic>Nos2</italic> expression at the time of maximal induction (2 hours). <italic>Nos2</italic> was, however, suppressed by 24 hours, suggesting that the regulatory impact of HO-1 induction was not engaged early enough to reduce <italic>Nos2</italic> transcription at 2 hours. It is concluded that NOS2 induction in bacterial sepsis optimizes the expression of the mitochondrial biogenesis transcriptional program, which subsequently can also be regulated by HO-1/CO in murine liver. This provides a potential new mechanism by which immune suppression and mitochondrial repair can occur in tandem during the acute inflammatory response.</p> / Dissertation

In this work were considered the maxima and minima structures. Where number of value is random and is distributed by negative binomial distribution. There were theorems that were improved in this work, that helped to find the limit distribute function of this standard structures. These theorems generalize propositions, when set size is geometric random number. Also, there was the concrete distribution analysis done and such distributions were chosen: exponential, general logistic and uniform.

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The enzyme 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonate 8-phosphate (KDO8P) synthase catalyses the aldol condensation of the five-carbon sugar phosphate, arabinose 5-phosphate (A5P), and phosphoenol pyruvate (PEP) to give the eight-carbon phosphorylated sugar, KDO8P. It is the second committed step in the synthesis of KDO, a necessary component of the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria. This thesis describes the design, synthesis and evaluation of a number of inhibitors of KDO8P synthase that utilise the functionality of one or both substrates. The KDO8P synthase family can be divided based on the requirement of a divalent metal ion. Chapter 2 describes the growth, purification and characterisation of an example from both the metal-independent KDO8P synthases (Neisseria meningitidis, Nme) and metal-dependent KDO8P synthases (Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Afe) in order to utilise these enzymes for the inhibition studies described in this thesis. In Chapter 3, a number of small molecule PEP analogues were selected as mimics of KDO8P synthase reaction intermediates and tested as inhibitors of KDO8P synthase from N. meningitidis and A. ferrooxidans. Glyphosate, (E)-vinyl phosphonate and the fluorinated analogue of (E)-vinyl phosphonate were selected as mimics of the high-energy oxocarbenium intermediate through which the KDO8P synthase reaction is thought to occur. The two enantiomers of phospholactate were selected in order to investigate the chirality of the tetrahedral intermediate and determine the importance of this chirality for inhibition of KDO8P synthase. All five inhibitors were found to be moderate to poor inhibitors of both the KDO8P synthase from N. meningitidis and A. ferrooxidans. Chapter 4 describes the design and synthesis of inhibitors that incorporated structural features of the second substrate, A5P, in order to improve inhibition from that observed for the PEP analogues investigated in Chapter 3. A bisphosphate inhibitor was designed that incorporated a terminal phosphate moiety, representative of the phosphate of A5P. A large increase in inhibition was found, compared to the phospholactates from which it was derived. A structure-activity-relationship study was undertaken on this compound by design of compounds that lacked one of the two phosphate moieties of the bisphosphate inhibitor, in order to determine their relative importance. The inhibition results indicate that the primary terminal phosphate, thought to bind in the A5P phosphate binding site, is more important for inhibition of KDO8P synthase than the secondary phosphate. In Chapter 5 these investigations into the inhibition of KDO8P synthase are discussed in detail, and interpreted using the aid of computational studies. In addition several approaches are described for the completion and advancement of the studies presented here in this thesis.

rafael.gargurevich@gmail.com / It was studied the construct validity and the reliability of the SPANAS scale in two samples of university students from Lima. Through many confirmatory factorial analyses (AFC) it was evaluated the adjustment of three competing models (one factor, two correlated factors and two orthogonal factors). This procedure wasreplicated in the two samples of universitary students.After the validity and reliability analysis were done, it was found that the two correlated factors model was better to represent the scale in both samples. Furthermore, the Positive and Negative Affect Scale proved to be reliable. In this way we have evidence ofthe presence oftwo factors which represent the positive and negative affection. / Se ha estudiado la validez de constructo y la confiabilidad de la escala SPANAS en dos muestras de estudiantes universitarios de Lima. Mediante diversos análisisfactoriales confirmatorios(AFC)se evaluó el ajuste de tres modelos competidores (un solo factor, dos factores correlacionados y dos factores ortogonales). Este procedimiento se replicó en las dos muestras de estudiantes universitarios. Luego de haber realizado los análisis de validez y confiabilidad, se encontró que el modelo de dos factores correlacionados era el que mejor representó a la escala en ambas muestras. Además, las escalas de afecto positivo y negativo demostraron ser confiables. De esta manera se tiene evidencia de la presencia de dos factores que representan al afecto positivo y negativo.

Hollow-core flooring units are designed as simply supported members. However, frequently in construction, continuity is established between the units and supporting structure by the addition of insitu topping concrete and steel reinforcement. This change in structural form can result in negative bending moments and axial forces being induced in the floor by seismic and other structural actions. Significant negative moments are induced by load combinations that include the effects of seismic forces due to vertical ground motion. The focus of this research was two failure mechanisms possible under these loading conditions, a flexural failure and a shear failure. Both failure mechanisms were investigated analytically and experimentally. A brittle flexural failure was observed experimentally in a sub assembly test that contained starter bars and mesh reinforcement in the insitu topping concrete. The failure occurred at loads lower than those predicted using standard flexural theory. It appears that, due to the prestressing and low reinforcement ratio of the topping concrete, the assumption that plane sections remain plane is not appropriate for this situation. It is proposed that a strain concentration factor be introduced to account for the effects of tension stiffening. This factor improves the correlation between observed and predicted flexural strength. The second failure mode investigated was a flexure shear failure in a negative moment zone. Flexural cracks reduce the shear strength of a reinforced concrete member. Analytical predictions suggest that some hollow-core floor details could be prone to this type of brittle failure. A flexure shear failure was not observed experimentally; however, this does not eliminate the possibility of this failure mode. A summary of other failure mechanisms possible in hollow-core flooring is also presented. All failure modes should to be considered as part of establishing a hierarchy of failure in the design or retrofit of hollow-core floors.

The purpose of this travel cost study is to determine how rider behaviors and site characteristics influence repeat visits for equestrian trail riding in Kentucky. Primary data was collected via a survey developed and administered to trail riders in person and online. The average surveyed trail rider tends to be female, about 46 years old, with some higher education, and an annual household income of $65,000. She makes 11 trips to a specified site per year, 8 of which are daytrips, usually in the fall, and traveling 132 miles round trip. From other information gathered, an index of trail characteristics was developed to identify positive attributes of trails. To account for overdispersion of the number of visits per year, a negative binomial distribution in the estimation was used. The primary variables significant to explaining repeat visits to a site include distance in miles, the index of characteristics, and gender. Given consumer surplus estimates of $800 per equestrian it is recommended that established trails maximize desired characteristics. For new trail development it is recommended that trail characteristics are maximized and that they are built closer to the urban areas of the state since most riders are coming from these areas.