Professional office building--why and how.
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Health Facilities↗
SEARCH · PubMed Health
Results for “Capacity Building”
Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.
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When does decisional impairment become decisional incompetence? Ethical and methodological issues in capacity research in schizophrenia.
Most decision-making capacity (DMC) research has focused on measuring the decision-making abilities of patients, rather than on how such persons may be categorized as competent or incompetent. However, research ethics policies and practices either assume that we can differentiate or attempt to guide the differentiation of the competent from the incompetent. Thus there is a need to build on the recent advances in capacity research by conceptualizing and studying DMC as a categorical concept. This review discusses why there is a need for such research and addresses challenges and obstacles, both practical and theoretical. After a discussion of the potential obstacles and suggesting ways to overcome them, it discusses why clinicians with expertise in capacity assessments may be the best source of a provisional "gold standard" for criterion validation of categorical capacity status. The review provides discussions of selected key methodological issues in conducting research that treats DMC as a categorical concept, such as the issue of the optimal number of expert judges needed to generate a criterion standard and the kinds of information presented to the experts in obtaining their judgments. Future research needs are outlined.
Biomedical Research↗
[Physical work capacity of Bulgarian workers in the Komi ASSR].
In view of assessing the physical fitness of Bulgarian men going to work in lumber production in the Komi ASSR (180 men of different professions) the physical working capacity was measured by bicycle ergometer with submaximum loading (50, 100 and 150 W). The maximum aerobic capacity is extrapolated after the nomogram of Astrand and the individual regressive lines. The results point out the mean values of physical working capacity assessed after oxygen consumption and pulse. Frequency at submaximum loading (at 150 W average for the group they are respectively 2, 12 dm3/min and 166 beating/min). The assessment of the physical working capacity after the maximum oxygen consumption is also about the mean (2.7 dm3/min). The representatives of the so called sitting professions (employees, drivers) have lower aerobic capacity then those engaged mainly in physical work (machine building, construction workers). In comparison with literature data the examined persons have lower working capacity for the corresponding age. Juxtaposing the results of the mean data for physical working capacity with the high energy losses in the lumber industry imposes measures for raising the physical working capacity of the Bulgarian workers departing for the Komi ASSr, by effective training system, improving the work and rest regimen, professional selection by examining the physical working capacity etc.
Adult↗
[Noise characteristics of the basic types of housing construction].
The noise regime in houses, depending on the type of buildings - brick, panel and "creeping shuttering" type is considered. Investigations, carried out under natural conditions, showed that the type of building correlates with the noise-isolation capacity of the construction elements, in relation to the stroke noise. Poorest noise-isolation properties are to be expected from the "creeping shuttering" type of buildings. The characteristics of generation and spreading of noise from baths and toilets is discussed. Some tangible technical noise-protecting devices are suggested.
Bulgaria↗
[Biological age and physical working capacity based on longitudinal observations in factory and office workers in the ship-building industry].
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Adult↗
[The diffusion capacity of the lungs in dust-induced pathology of the bronchopulmonary apparatus among workers in the machine-building and metal-working industries].
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Adult↗
Hospital's office building ignites dispute.
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Hospital Bed Capacity, 500 and over↗
Preparation for parenting multiple birth children.
The experience of expecting and parenting multiples is decidedly different from that of a singleton pregnancy and parenthood. Multiple births are associated with substantial medical, health care, socio-emotional, developmental, educational and economic consequences for both families and society. This paper aims to advise health professionals on how best to help families prepare for and successfully respond to the demands of multiple pregnancy and the first 5 years of parenthood after the births of twins, triplets or more. Four inter-related principles of good practice are vital to the care of multiple birth families: the involvement of a range of disciplines, of the family and of the multiple birth community; the provision of specialised care; coordinated services; and the building of family competency including the capacity to make informed decisions. Preparation should include education on the special aspects of multiple pregnancy and parenting using multiples-focused resources, health promotion and risk modification strategies, infant care and feeding, child development and advice on securing help and support while ensuring family participation in all care decisions.
Adult↗
Implicit learning deficits in dyslexic adults: an fMRI study.
It is assumed that several neuropsychological impairments characterize the cognitive profile of individuals with developmental dyslexia (DD). Phonological and visual processing are often impaired as well as auditory processing, attention, and information processing speed. Although reports in the literature on implicit learning abilities are contradictory, recent neurological and physiological data suggest that these abilities are deficient in individuals with DD. To evaluate implicit learning we administered a classical version of the serial reaction time task (SRTT) related to sequence learning. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging we investigated brain activation patterns associated with implicit learning deficits in 14 adults with DD matched with 14 normal readers. SRTT results indicated the absence of implicit learning in the DD group and different activations between groups mainly in SMA, inferior parietal areas and cerebellar lobule 6. These results can be interpreted in the light of the different capacities for the two groups to build an internal model to guide movements. Further, they explain DD individuals' difficulty in domains not directly related to reading ability.
Adult↗
A lignin-specific peroxidase in tobacco whose antisense suppression leads to vascular tissue modification.
A tobacco peroxidase isoenzyme (TP60) was down-regulated in tobacco using an antisense strategy, this affording transformants with lignin reductions of up to 40-50% of wild type (control) plants. Significantly, both guaiacyl and syringyl levels decreased in essentially a linear manner with the reductions in lignin amounts, as determined by both thioacidolysis and nitrobenzene oxidative analyses. These data provisionally suggest that a feedback mechanism is operative in lignifying cells, which prevents build-up of monolignols should oxidative capacity for their subsequent metabolism be reduced. Prior to this study, the only known rate-limiting processes in the monolignol/lignin pathways involved that of Phe supply and the relative activities of cinnamate-4-hydroxylase/p-coumarate-3-hydroxylase, respectively. These transformants thus provide an additional experimental means in which to further dissect and delineate the factors involved in monolignol targeting to precise regions in the cell wall, and of subsequent lignin assembly. Interestingly, the lignin down-regulated tobacco phenotypes displayed no readily observable differences in overall growth and development profiles, although the vascular apparatus was modified.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
New tendencies and strategies in international immunisation: GAVI and The Vaccine Fund.
It is now accepted that investment in health is an important contributor to poverty reduction; however failure to immunise the world's children with readily available life-saving vaccines results in more than 3 million premature deaths annually. The Vaccine Fund-a new structural tool with a clear mission "every child every where" and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI)-a true alliance of all global stakeholders, are working together to build sustainability of immunisation and immunisation capacity in the world's poorest countries.Substantial funding for immunisation has been raised but more is needed to complete the task of fully immunising the world's poorest children.
Costs and Cost Analysis↗
Pumping capacity of bacterial reaction centers and backpressure regulation of energy transduction.
Transduction of free-energy by Rhodobacter sphaeroides reaction-center-light-harvesting-complex-1 (RCLH1) was quantified. RCLH1 complexes were reconstituted into liposomal membranes. The capacity of the RCLH1 complex to build up a proton motive force was examined at a range of incident light intensities, and induced proton permeabilities, in the presence of artificial electron donors and acceptors. Experiments were also performed with RCLH1 complexes in which the midpoint potential of the reaction center primary donor was modified over an 85-mV range by replacement of the tyrosine residue at the M210 position of the reaction center protein by histidine, phenylalanine, leucine or tryptophan. The intrinsic driving force with which the reaction center pumped protons tended to decrease as the midpoint potential of the primary donor was increased. This observation is discussed in terms of the control of the energetics of the first steps in light-driven electron transfer on the thermodynamic efficiency of the bacterial photosynthetic process. The light intensity at which half of the maximal proton motive force was generated, increased with increasing proton permeability of the membrane. This presents the first direct evidence for so-called backpressure control exerted by the proton motive force on steady-state cyclic electron transfer through and coupled proton pumping by the bacterial reaction center.
Electron Transport↗
Long-term memory for a life on the move.
Evidence is accumulating that cognitive abilities are shaped by the specific ecological conditions to which animals are exposed. Long-distance migratory birds may provide a striking example of this. Field observations have shown that, at least in some species, a substantial proportion of individuals return to the same breeding, wintering, and stopover sites in successive years. This observation suggests that migrants have evolved special cognitive abilities that enable them to accomplish these feats. Here we show that memory of a particular feeding site persisted for at least 12 months in a long-distance migrant, whereas a closely related nonmigrant could remember such a site for only 2 weeks. Thus, it seems that the migratory lifestyle has influenced the learning and memorizing capacities of migratory birds. These results build a bridge between field observations suggesting special memorization feats of migratory birds and previous neuroanatomical results from the same two species indicating an increase in relative hippocampal size from the first to the second year of life in the migrant but not in the nonmigrant.
Animals↗
Sanitation in the developing world: current status and future solutions.
More than a third of the world's population (2.4 billion people) lacks access to adequate excreta disposal. Four in five of these unserved people are in Asia, with approximately one in five in both India and China, respectively. Even in large Asian cities, less than half of those served are using sewerage systems; the others use on-site systems, from pit latrines to septic tanks. Most have been installed by householders or builders employed by them, rather than by government or municipal agencies. Governments, international agencies and municipalities can never hope to meet the immense gap in provision unless they promote sanitation with a marketing approach. A latrine is a consumer durable which must be sold. It is often considered that the constraint to increasing sanitation coverage is a lack of demand, but there is often a lack of supply of appropriate products, and latrine designs are often too expensive for the poor, requiring subsidies which are captured by the better-off. More market research is needed to define the right product and how best to stimulate demand. Where subsidies are used, the promotion, not the production of the latrines must be subsidised to prevent middle-class capture of the subsidy. Promotion is probably best performed by different agencies from those that build latrines. The expertise and marketing capacity of the private sector needs to be brought into play, and public bodies must learn to assist it effectively in bringing sanitation to all.
Communicable Disease Control↗
Whose policy is it anyway? International and national influences on health policy development in Uganda.
As national resources for health decline, so dependence on international resources to finance the capital and recurrent costs is increasing. This dependence, combined with an increasing emphasis on policy-based, as opposed to project-based, lending and grant-making has been accompanied by greater involvement of international actors in the formation of national health policy. This paper explores the process of health policy development in Uganda and examines how major donors are influencing and conflicting with national policy-making bodies. Focusing on two examples of user fees and drugs policies, it argues that while the content of international prescriptions to strengthen the health system may not be bad in itself, the process by which they are applied potentially threatens national sovereignty and weakens mechanisms for ensuring accountability. It concludes by proposing that in order to increase the sustainability of policy reforms, much greater emphasis should be placed on strengthening national capacity for policy analysis and research, building up policy networks and enhancing the quality of information available to the public concerning key policy changes.
Developing Countries↗
Evaluation of the American Stop Smoking Intervention Study (ASSIST): a report of outcomes.
BACKGROUND: The National Cancer Institute funded an 8-year, nonrandomized demonstration project for tobacco prevention and control, the American Stop Smoking Intervention Study (ASSIST). To evaluate ASSIST, we compared changes in adult smoking prevalence, per capita cigarette consumption, and tobacco control policies between the 17 ASSIST states and the 33 non-ASSIST states and the District of Columbia. METHODS: The strength of tobacco control index was used to measure state-level program elements directed at tobacco control, and the initial outcomes index (IOI) was used to measure states' tobacco control policy outcomes. Prevalence data were obtained from the Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey, and consumption data were obtained from the Tobacco Institute's bimonthly sales figures for cigarette packs moved from wholesale warehouses. Two-stage regression and mixed-effects linear modeling were used to analyze the various outcomes. Statistical analyses for testing individual regression coefficients were one-sided. RESULTS: ASSIST states had a greater decrease in adult smoking prevalence than non-ASSIST states, with an adjusted difference of -0.63% (P =.049). Per capita cigarette consumption was not statistically significantly different between ASSIST and non-ASSIST states. However, an increase in the IOI of a state from the 25th to the 75th percentile was associated with a reduction in per capita cigarette consumption by 0.57 packs per person per month. State IOI was also inversely, albeit not statistically significantly, associated with smoking prevalence (regression coefficient = -0.11;P =.06). CONCLUSIONS: The reduction in adult smoking prevalence associated with ASSIST could have translated into approximately 278 700 fewer smokers nationwide if all states had implemented ASSIST. Investment in building state-level tobacco control capacity and promoting changes in tobacco control policies are effective strategies for reducing tobacco use.
Adolescent↗
An Analysis of Phytochrome-mediated Anthocyanin Synthesis.
Phytochrome (far red form) alone can mediate anthocyanin synthesis in the mustard seedling (Sinapis alba L.). Complete photoreversibility and reciprocity, for both red and far red light exposures over a period of at least 5 minutes, demonstrate this phytochrome involvement.The duration of the initial lag-phase is constant (about 3 hours at 25 C) for seedlings more than 30 hours old and is specific for the system, being independent of the dose or quality of light. Since a complete reversal by far red of a red light induction is possible only during a 5 minute period, phytochrome (far red form) obviously mediates anthocyanin synthesis during the lag-phase although the actual synthesis of pigment can proceed only after the lag-phase is overcome. We suggest that phytochrome (far red form) exerts a double function during the initial lag-phase. It mediates both the build up of a biosynthetic potential ("capacity") and anthocyanin synthesis. However, the sequence of events leading to anthocyanin is arrested at some intermediate stage until this "capacity" is built up after 3 hours. Once "capacity" is achieved it does not decay readily. Therefore, no significant "secondary lag-phase" occurs if the seedling, under appropriate conditions, is reirradiated after an intervening dark period. The rate or extent of synthesis for both anthocyanin and lipoxygenase, previously reported (32), are functions of the amount of phytochrome (far red form). No "phytochrome paradoxes," i.e., nonrational relationships between the amount of phytochrome (far red form) and rate or extent of response, were detected. This fact suggests that the mustard seedling is especially well suited for investigating the biophysical and molecular mechanisms of phytochrome action.
Journal Article↗
Increasing minority participation in cancer clinical trials: the minority-based community clinical oncology program experience.
PURPOSE: The National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Minority-Based Community Clinical Oncology Program (MBCCOP) seeks to enhance minority participation in cancer clinical trials by building clinical trials outreach and management capacity in healthcare institutions serving large numbers of minority cancer patients. This article examines temporal trends in MBCCOP accruals to cancer prevention and control (CP/C) and cancer treatment trials and the racial distribution of study participants, along with the major factors affecting minority enrollment. METHODS: We used NCI databases to analyze temporal trends in overall accruals and accruals by race. We analyzed transcripts from an NCI-sponsored meeting with MBCCOP principal investigators and data from a follow-up survey to identify factors affecting minority enrollment. RESULTS: Between 1992 and 2003, annual patient accruals to treatment trials increased 39% despite little change in the number of MBCCOP grantees. During this same period, annual participant accruals to CP/C trials more than doubled. Between 1995 and 2003, minorities comprised 51% to 67% of the MBCCOP patients accrued to cooperative group treatment trials compared with < or = 23% of the patients accrued by other cooperative group members and affiliates. Major factors affecting minority enrollment include the availability of "clinically relevant" protocols, regulatory requirements, characteristics of the patient population, and the level of support from sponsoring institutions and community physicians. CONCLUSION: MBCCOPs have demonstrated their ability to facilitate the participation of racial/ethnic minorities in clinical trials. However, the contributions that they could make to the design and conduct of minority-focused research studies merit further exploration.
Clinical Trials as Topic↗