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At least 1,207 records · Page 67Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Determining sources of fecal pollution in a rural Virginia watershed with antibiotic resistance patterns in fecal streptococci.

Nonpoint sources of pollution that contribute fecal bacteria to surface waters have proven difficult to identify. Knowledge of pollution sources could aid in restoration of the water quality, reduce the amounts of nutrients leaving watersheds, and reduce the danger of infectious disease resulting from exposure to contaminated waters. Patterns of antibiotic resistance in fecal streptococci were analyzed by discriminant and cluster analysis and used to identify sources of fecal pollution in a rural Virginia watershed. A database consisting of patterns from 7,058 fecal streptococcus isolates was first established from known human, livestock, and wildlife sources in Montgomery County, Va. Correct fecal streptococcus source identification averaged 87% for the entire database and ranged from 84% for deer isolates to 93% for human isolates. To field test the method and the database, a watershed improvement project (Page Brook) in Clarke County, Va., was initiated in 1996. Comparison of 892 known-source isolates from that watershed against the database resulted in an average correct classification rate of 88%. Combining all animal isolates increased correct classification rates to > or = 95% for separations between animal and human sources. Stream samples from three collection sites were highly contaminated, and fecal streptococci from these sites were classified as being predominantly from cattle (>78% of isolates), with small proportions from waterfowl, deer, and unidentified sources ( approximately 7% each). Based on these results, cattle access to the stream was restricted by installation of fencing and in-pasture watering stations. Fecal coliforms were reduced at the three sites by an average of 94%, from prefencing average populations of 15,900 per 100 ml to postfencing average populations of 960 per 100 ml. After fencing, <45% of fecal streptococcus isolates were classified as being from cattle. These results demonstrate that antibiotic resistance profiles in fecal streptococci can be used to reliably determine sources of fecal pollution, and water quality improvements can occur when efforts to address the identified sources are made.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Evaluation of social marketing of oral rehydration therapy.

Attempts, at social marketing of oral rehydration therapy (ORT) through television, in changing the knowledge and practice of mothers with regard to its use was assessed. One hundred and eighty seven consecutive mothers (38 excluded due to non use of ORT) were administered a preplanned questionnaire to assess their socio-economic profile, educational status, concept of diarrhea and correct use of ORT. Fifty nine mothers who watched these programmes on TV regularly formed the study group. These were compared with 90 mothers who had gained such knowledge from non-television sources. The correct application of knowledge of ORT was significantly better in study group compared with control group. The educational status of mothers had a positive impact on motivation to use ORT at home in the study group. Mass media campaigns through "TV spots" is an effective way of improving knowledge of mothers on ORT in a developing country.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Current status of sex education of preschool children].

The quantity of empirical data on contents and sources of sexual knowledge and sex-typical attitudes at preschool children is out of all proportion to the importance of this age for the formation of sexual behaviour and the establishment of relations between the sexes in family and society in the course of ontogenesis. The results of standardized interviews of 190 boys and 176 girls aged four to seven years at urban and rural nursery schools on their sexual knowledge and on their ideas of properties, roles and functions of the sexes (sex role ideas) will help fill this gap. Compared to previous retrospective studies on elder children and adolescents, sexual knowledge has become more wide-spread and correct and increasingly comes from the desired sources of information. The emotional and educational factors involved in impairing the information, however, are not yet sufficiently developed and the incidence of attitudes promoting an equal cooperation between the sexes is rather limited. The necessity of enabling the educators for sexual education is again emphasized.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1992

Preferred sources of information on AIDS among high school students from selected schools in Zimbabwe.

Following various national HIV and AIDS awareness campaign activities under the auspices of the Ministries of Health and Education, Zimbabwe, an AIDS KABP survey was undertaken. The study sample comprised 478 high school students randomly selected and stratified to represent sex and Forms 1 through to 6. The study instrument was a 31-item questionnaire designed to assess the students' knowledge, attitudes, practices and sources of information in relation to HIV syndrome. This report reviews only that part of the study dealing with sources of information. Newspapers, television, radio and magazine were the most frequently cited sources of first information. Classmates were cited by 20% to over 30% of respondents as first sources of information. Authority figures like health workers, parents, teachers, the Church did not emerge as significant sources of first information. Doctors were identified as the most preferred source of information in future. Sources of first information were related to age, form level, sex and location of school attended. There were notable differences between boarding school respondents and day scholars. No regional differences were noted.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2006

Sources of AIDS awareness among women in India.

Sources of AIDS awareness among rural and urban Indian women were analysed using data from the National Family and Health Survey (1998-2000). Two measures were developed to study the impact each source had on knowledge. 'Effectiveness' was defined as the proportion of women who had heard of AIDS from only one source, from among women who had heard of AIDS from that particular source and other sources. 'Independent effect' was the proportion who had heard of AIDS from only one source in relation to all women who had heard of AIDS. Television was the most effective medium, and also had the highest independent effect. Radio and print had very low effectiveness and independent effect. Although television and print audiences are growing in India, it is likely a sub-group of women will continue to lack media access. There is an urgent need to disseminate AIDS awareness to this 'media underclass'. Since the media will not reach this group, other sources including health workers, community level activities such as adult education programmes, and networks of friends and relatives need to be explored.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2006

Readiness for HIV testing among young people in northern Nigeria: the roles of social norm and perceived stigma.

This study examined the predictors of readiness for HIV testing among young people in northern Nigeria, paying special attention to the role of stigma. Stigma is measured at two levels: individual and community (social norm). There are commonalities and differences in the correlates of readiness among men and women. For men and women, knowledge about HIV prevention, knowledge about a source for VCT, discussion about condom use for HIV prevention and perceived risk are strong predictors. Knowledge that an apparently healthy person can be HIV-infected is only significant for women. Perceived stigma is a significant predictor for both men and women although the specific dimension of note differs between the sexes. Social norm is strongly and directly associated with readiness among men but has no apparent influence among women. For both sexes, social norm appears to have strong mediating influence on the relationship between personal perceived stigma and readiness. The results strongly suggest that to eliminate HIV-related stigma, it is not enough to target individual cognitive processes; strategic efforts should target social structures in order to change negative social norms.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2000

Knowledge and attitudes toward AIDS among female college students in Nagasaki, Japan.

This study assesses knowledge and attitudes concerning HIV infection and individuals with AIDS among 383 female students attending colleges in Nagasaki, Japan. A structured questionnaire containing questions concerning knowledge about AIDS, sources of information, beliefs and attitudes toward people with HIV/AIDS was administered during sessions set up for that purpose. The mean age of participants was 18.8 +/- 0.8 years (+/- SD). The main source of information for AIDS awareness as reported by the students was the mass media. Good knowledge about AIDS was positively associated with ease of acceptance of living in the same house with a person diagnosed with AIDS [odds ratio (OR): 1.90; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07-3.38]. However, residing at home (OR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.42-0.98) and involvement in nurse education programmes (OR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.37-0.95) showed a negative association. Students demonstrated a high level of knowledge concerning AIDS and HIV, but had considerable misconceptions and prejudices about people having HIV/AIDS. Our results suggest that a more appropriate education programme in colleges in Japan may be necessary to reduce the discrepancy between general knowledge and desirable attitude regarding HIV/AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2002

[Orthodontic awareness of the parents whose children suffer from cleft palate and are treated at orthodontic clinics--preliminary communication].

Cleft palate or lip constitutes circa 65% of congenital developmental anomalies in facial skeleton. This defect requires a long, complicated and team treatment, which calls for the parents' sufficient knowledge and awareness. We checked what opinions and knowledge concerning the treated defect of their children the parents have. The children were treated in the Orthodontic Clinic in Zabrze. The survey was conducted in 230 families. Beside answering the typical demographic questions the people were asked to describe the type of defect, give the reasons for its appearance and its influence on the child's life. In all cases the parents correctly defined the type of defect. Most of their knowledge came from conversations/consultations with doctors, only a small percentage gained knowledge from other sources (books, brochures, etc.). When analysing the parents' answers one can notice that there's little knowledge concerning the cause of the cleft. Whereas they seem to have more knowledge regarding the treatment, complications and the child's functioning within the society. The fact that the people directly affected by this problem have such a small knowledge of the causes of cleft indicates a need for broader education. It seems that a possible preventive educational action concerning the factors increasing the risk of cleft occurrence, the possibilities to eliminate the danger and necessity of treatment should concentrate on small towns and villages.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Utah's parent, teacher, and physician sealant awareness surveys.

PURPOSE: The Year 2000 Oral Health Objective 13.8 reads, "Increase to at least 50% the proportion of children who have received protective sealants on the occlusal surfaces of permanent molar teeth." In order to develop the next phase of Utah's continuing sealant promotion program directed towards meeting this objective, the Dental Health Bureau surveyed parents, teachers, and physicians in 1992. METHODS: Parents of 3,355 first- and sixth-grade students in a stratified random sample of 25 Utah urban and rural schools were surveyed to determine sealant awareness and placement. In 20 elementary urban and rural schools, 471 teachers were surveyed to determine their source of dental health knowledge and their dental unit subject matter. Five hundred ninety-six physicians were surveyed to determine their knowledge of sealants. The results of the parent and teacher surveys were analyzed using chi-square to determine statistically significant differences between urban and rural respondents. The physician results are reported in percentages. RESULTS: The parental response rate was 32%, teacher response rate was 37%, and physician response rate was 44%. Between 73% and 81% of the parents knew about sealants and 40% to 47% have had sealants placed on a child's teeth. The most frequently mentioned source of knowledge about sealants was the dentist or dental hygienist. Fewer rural than urban parents had heard about dental sealants and had insurance that covered sealants. Of the teachers who taught dental health, most taught brushing/flossing, sugar avoidance, and annual dental visits. Only a few taught about sealants. Most of the teachers received their information from a Dental Health Bureau newsletter or from their dentist or dental hygienist. When questioned about their knowledge of sealants, 68% of the physicians indicated they were unfamiliar with them. Eighty-four percent requested professional information and 65% requested patient information. CONCLUSIONS: The dental hygienist as a preventive healthcare professional is a frequent source of sealant information. Parents, physicians, and teachers need up-to-date oral health information. Dental hygienists can be instrumental in achieving the Year 2000 Oral Health Objective on dental sealants by promoting awareness in the public sector and by placing dental sealants.

Chi-Square Distribution↗
PubMed1985

High school students' perceptions and misperceptions of AIDS.

This study examines the knowledge, beliefs, and sources of information of junior and senior high school students concerning AIDS. The students were found to have a very limited knowledge of AIDS. Males were more knowledgeable about AIDS than were females, but the majority of students were not personally worried about contracting AIDS. The primary sources of AIDS information were TV, newspapers, magazines, and radio. Schools were one of the least often mentioned sources of information.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2006

An informative Bayesian structural equation model to assess source-specific health effects of air pollution.

A primary objective of current air pollution research is the assessment of health effects related to specific sources of air particles or particulate matter (PM). Quantifying source-specific risk is a challenge because most PM health studies do not directly observe the contributions of the pollution sources themselves. Instead, given knowledge of the chemical characteristics of known sources, investigators infer pollution source contributions via a source apportionment or multivariate receptor analysis applied to a large number of observed elemental concentrations. Although source apportionment methods are well established for exposure assessment, little work has been done to evaluate the appropriateness of characterizing unobservable sources thus in health effects analyses. In this article, we propose a structural equation framework to assess source-specific health effects using speciated elemental data. This approach corresponds to fitting a receptor model and the health outcome model jointly, such that inferences on the health effects account for the fact that uncertainty is associated with the source contributions. Since the structural equation model (SEM) typically involves a large number of parameters, for small-sample settings, we propose a fully Bayesian estimation approach that leverages historical exposure data from previous related exposure studies. We compare via simulation the performance of our approach in estimating source-specific health effects to that of 2 existing approaches, a tracer approach and a 2-stage approach. Simulation results suggest that the proposed informative Bayesian SEM is effective in eliminating the bias incurred by the 2 existing approaches, even when the number of exposures is limited. We employ the proposed methods in the analysis of a concentrator study investigating the association between ST-segment, a cardiovascular outcome, and major sources of Boston PM and discuss the implications of our findings with respect to the design of future PM concentrator studies.

Air Pollution↗
PubMed1988

A prototype system for perinatal knowledge engineering using an artificial intelligence tool.

Though several perinatal expert systems are extant, the use of artificial intelligence has, as yet, had minimal impact in medical computing. In this evaluation of the potential of AI techniques in the development of a computer based "Perinatal Consultant," a "top down" approach to the development of a perinatal knowledge base was taken, using as a source for such a knowledge base a 30-page manuscript of a chapter concerning high risk pregnancy. The UNIX utility "style" was used to parse sentences and obtain key words and phrases, both as part of a natural language interface and to identify key perinatal concepts. Compared with the "gold standard" of sentences containing key facts as chosen by the experts, a semiautomated method using a nonmedical speller to identify key words and phrases in context functioned with a sensitivity of 79%, i.e., approximately 8 in 10 key sentences were detected as the basis for PROLOG, rules and facts for the knowledge base. These encouraging results suggest that functional perinatal expert systems may well be expedited by using programming utilities in conjunction with AI tools and published literature.

Expert Systems↗
PubMed1990

An assessment of asthmatic knowledge of school teachers.

A group of 69 teachers in two high schools in Holon were asked to fill out questionnaires measuring their general knowledge about asthma as well as their specific awareness of the asthmatic pupils in their class. The source of their knowledge comes from reading popular articles in newspapers and periodicals as well as popular scientific books (43.5%); and later from discussions with physicians and nurses (15.5%). The knowledge of the class teachers was compared with that of various single subject teachers. The importance of the teachers' knowledge is emphasized as well as its effect upon the pupils. Practical ways to increase that knowledge are suggested and discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Knowledge management in pediatric pain: mapping on-line expert discussions to medical literature.

Clinical decision-making can be vastly improved with the availability of the right medical knowledge at the right time. This concept paper presents a knowledge management re-search program to (a) identify, capture and organize the tacit knowledge inherent within on-line problem-solving discussions between pediatric pain practitioners; (b) establish linkages between topic-specific pediatric pain discussions and corresponding published medical literature on children's pain available at PubMed--i.e. linking tacit expert knowledge to explicit medical literature; and (c) make these knowledge re-sources available to pediatric pain practitioners via the WWW for timely access to various modalities of clinical knowledge.

Artificial Intelligence↗
PubMed2003

Blind estimation of reverberation time.

The reverberation time (RT) is an important parameter for characterizing the quality of an auditory space. Sounds in reverberant environments are subject to coloration. This affects speech intelligibility and sound localization. Many state-of-the-art audio signal processing algorithms, for example in hearing-aids and telephony, are expected to have the ability to characterize the listening environment, and turn on an appropriate processing strategy accordingly. Thus, a method for characterization of room RT based on passively received microphone signals represents an important enabling technology. Current RT estimators, such as Schroeder's method, depend on a controlled sound source, and thus cannot produce an online, blind RT estimate. Here, a method for estimating RT without prior knowledge of sound sources or room geometry is presented. The diffusive tail of reverberation was modeled as an exponentially damped Gaussian white noise process. The time-constant of the decay, which provided a measure of the RT, was estimated using a maximum-likelihood procedure. The estimates were obtained continuously, and an order-statistics filter was used to extract the most likely RT from the accumulated estimates. The procedure was illustrated for connected speech. Results obtained for simulated and real room data are in good agreement with the real RT values.

Acoustics↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Lessons learned from a pilot implementation of the UMLS information sources map.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the software design issues involved in implementing an operational information sources map (ISM) knowledge base (KB) and system of navigational tools that can help medical users access network-based information sources relevant to a biomedical question. DESIGN: A pilot biomedical ISM KB and associated client-server software (ISM/Explorer) have been developed to help students, clinicians, researchers, and staff access network-based information sources, as part of the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) multi-institutional Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) project. The system allows the user to specify and constrain a search for a biomedical question of interest. The system then returns a list of sources matching the search. At this point the user may request 1) further information about a source, 2) that the list of sources be regrouped by different criteria to allow the user to get a better overall appreciation of the set of retrieved sources as a whole, or 3) automatic connection to a source. RESULTS: The pilot system operates in client-server mode and currently contains coded information for 121 sources. It is in routine use from approximately 40 workstations at the Yale School of Medicine. The lessons that have been learned are that: 1) it is important to make access to different versions of a source as seamless as possible, 2) achieving seamless, cross-platform access to heterogeneous sources is difficult, 3) significant differences exist between coding the subject content of an electronic information resource versus that of an article or a book, 4) customizing the ISM to multiple institutions entails significant complexities, and 5) there are many design trade-offs between specifying searches and viewing sets of retrieved sources that must be taken into consideration. CONCLUSION: An ISM KB and navigational tools have been constructed. In the process, much has been learned about the complexities of development and evaluation in this new environment, which are different from those for Gopher, wide area information servers (WAIS), World-Wide-Web (WWW), and MOSAIC resources.

Abstracting and Indexing↗
PubMed1994

Uncertainties in current estimates of emissions of ammonia in the United Kingdom.

Estimates of the emissions of ammonia have previously concentrated on animal husbandry sources from agricultural systems. Animal husbandry sources still constitute the major fraction of emissions of ammonia, but we have also considered the potential magnitude of other 'minor' sources, which may include coal combustion, waste incineration, road vehicles, sewage treatment plants, fertiliser manufacture and application, vegetation senescence and crop emissions, domestic pets, and human sources. Where possible, a provisional estimate of UK emissions from each of these sources is given. It is concluded that the potential magnitude of emissions from these 'minor' sources may make a significant contribution to the total emissions of ammonia to the atmosphere. On the basis of the available data, and the application of a range of emission factors to the UK situation, an additional annual emission potential lying in the range of approximately 80-140 ktonne year(-1) over and above that from animal husbandry has been calculated. The uncertainties in the emission estimates and instances in which a better resolution of sources is required are discussed. The emission factors used for animals in various inventories are reviewed and applied to the main UK agricultural animal populations. By using this approach, estimates of emissions from these sources range between 113 and 647 ktonne year(-1), which illustrates the uncertainties involved. It is suggested that our knowledge of the sources of ammonia, and their distribution, is far from complete.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Postexposure prophylaxis for human immunodeficiency virus infection after sexual or injection drug use exposure: identification and characterization of the source of exposure.

In a nonrandomized study of nonoccupational postexposure prophylaxis (PEP), a cross-sectional evaluation of subjects who were the source of human immunodeficiency (HIV) exposure was performed to characterize partners of index subjects seeking nonoccupational PEP against HIV. Among 401 index subjects, 64 (16%) recruited a source subject. Those in a steady relationship and those who knew that the source subject was HIV antibody positive were more likely to recruit their source subject. Source subjects reported high rates of past (78%) and current (69%) antiretroviral use; 46% of those using antiretroviral drugs had detectable plasma HIV-1 RNA levels. Antiretroviral resistance was detected in many source subjects who reported any use of antiretrovirals and was rare among source subjects who reported no history of antiretroviral use. Clinicians often make treatment decisions on the basis of incomplete knowledge of the source subject's HIV status or antiretroviral treatment history. The treatment history, particularly nonuse of a class of antiretroviral drugs, can be used to predict drug resistance.

Adult↗