Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Lower-Level Health Care Facilities of Dar es Salaam Region in Tanzania: Status towards Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and Way Forward

Background: Improving Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in health care settings is a critical prerequisite for achieving national health goals and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a target for each United Nations member state to reach by 2030. Each member state is required to reach by 2022, 2025 and 2030 at least 60%, 80% and 100%, respectively of basic level of service of the five elements which are water, sanitation, hygiene, waste management and environmental cleaning. Methods: This study aimed to evaluate and document the current state of basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services in all lower-level health care facilities in the Dar es Salaam region of Tanzania as of July 2022. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 99 public dispensaries in the Dar es Salaam region’s five councils: Ubungo, Kigamboni, Kinondoni and Temeke Municipalities, and Ilala City. The interviewee form and observational checklists were both digitalized using the Kobo tool software. The respondents were health care facility in-charges or nurse in-charges. Data were downloaded, validated, and imported to Stata version 15 for analysis. Results: The basic WASH level per JMP is far below the target in 2022. Each member state by 2022 is required to reach at least 60% of the basic level of service of each element. We found a low coverage of basic WASH in the 99 dispensaries included in this study. The basic WASH coverage was met in only 10 (10.1%) of the dispensaries, while the remaining 89 (89.9%) dispensaries fall on limited WASH services. Conclusion: This study revealed lower coverage of basic WASH services in dispensaries. An urgent need is required to improve the status of WASH in all the dispensaries and facilitate the provision of quality health care services, patient safety and reduce health care associated infections.

基于LOD四叉树算法的中尺度云团三维流场可视化模拟分析

中尺度环流在复杂的天气环境下时常被大尺度环流掩盖,不能及时获取中尺度云团的时空密度,影响了中尺度云团三维流场可视化模拟效果,为了提升可视化模拟性能,提出基于四叉树算法(levels of detail,LOD)的中尺度云团三维流场可视化模拟分析方法。分析了中尺度云团三维相对流场,从中获取了中尺度云团三维流场运动规律,并基于二维直方图取得中尺度云团三维流场特征;将粒子源与四叉树结构相结合,构成四叉树粒子系统,把取得的特征映射到系统内,利用该系统中的粒子完成中尺度云团三维流场的渲染绘制,从而实现中尺度云团三维流场的可视化模拟。实验结果表明,绘制帧率对比测试、可视化模拟速率对比测试和可视化模拟效果对比测试结果清晰度较高,可视化程度较高,实用性强、可靠性高。

Dynamics of information diffusion and disease transmission in time-varying multiplex networks with asymmetric activity levels

While the interaction between information and disease in static networks has been extensively investigated,many studies have ignored the characteristics of network evolution.In this study,we construct a new two-layer coupling model to explore the interactions between information and disease.The upper layer describes the diffusion of disease-related information,and the lower layer represents the disease transmission.We then use power-law distributions to examine the influence of asymmetric activity levels on dynamic propagation,revealing a mapping relationship characterizing the interconnected propagation of information and diseases among partial nodes within the network.Subsequently,we derive the disease outbreak threshold by using the microscopic Markov-chain approach(MMCA).Finally,we perform extensive Monte Carlo(MC)numerical simulations to verify the accuracy of our theoretical results.Our findings indicate that the activity levels of individuals in the disease transmission layer have a more significant influence on disease transmission compared with the individual activity levels in the information diffusion layer.Moreover,reducing the damping factor can delay disease outbreaks and suppress disease transmission,while improving individual quarantine measures can contribute positively to disease control.This study provides valuable insights into policymakers for developing outbreak prevention and control strategies.

Monitoring absolute vertical land motions and absolute sea-level changes from GPS and tide gauges data over French Polynesia

In this study,we estimate the absolute vertical land motions at three tidal stations with collocated Global Navigation Satellite System(GNSS)receivers over French Polynesia during the period 2007-2020,and obtain,as ancillary results,estimates of the absolute changes in sea level at the same locations.To verify our processing approach to determining vertical motion,we first modeled vertical motion at the International GNSS Service(IGS)THTI station located in the capital island of Tahiti and compared our estimate with previous independent determinations,with a good agreement.We obtained the following estimates for the vertical land motions at the tide gauges:Tubuai island,Austral Archipelago-0.92±0.17 mm/yr,Vairao village,Tahiti Iti:-0.49±0.39 mm/yr,Rikitea,Gambier Archipelago-0.43±0.17 mm/yr.The absolute variations of the sea level are:Tubuai island,Austral Archipelago 5.25±0.60 mm/yr,Vairao village,Tahiti Iti:3.62±0.52 mm/yr,Rikitea,Gambier Archipelago 1.52±0.23 mm/yr.We discuss these absolute values in light of the values obtained from altimetric measurements and other means in French Polynesia.

Methodology for local correction of the heights of global geoid models to improve the accuracy of GNSS leveling

At present,one of the methods used to determine the height of points on the Earth’s surface is Global Navigation Satellite System(GNSS)leveling.It is possible to determine the orthometric or normal height by this method only if there is a geoid or quasi-geoid height model available.This paper proposes the methodology for local correction of the heights of high-order global geoid models such as EGM08,EIGEN-6C4,GECO,and XGM2019e_2159.This methodology was tested in different areas of the research field,covering various relief forms.The dependence of the change in corrected height accuracy on the input data was analyzed,and the correction was also conducted for model heights in three tidal systems:"tide free","mean tide",and"zero tide".The results show that the heights of EIGEN-6C4 model can be corrected with an accuracy of up to 1 cm for flat and foothill terrains with the dimensionality of 1°×1°,2°×2°,and 3°×3°.The EGM08 model presents an almost identical result.The EIGEN-6C4 model is best suited for mountainous relief and provides an accuracy of 1.5 cm on the 1°×1°area.The height correction accuracy of GECO and XGM2019e_2159 models is slightly poor,which has fuzziness in terms of numerical fluctuation.

Abnormal Thyroid Stimulating Hormone Level and Heavy Menstrual Bleeding

Heavy Menstrual Bleeding is one of the common Gynaecological issues. There are several causes. Some of the women presented with these issues found to have underling thyroid abnormality which was not discovered earlier. This research tries to find the prevalence of the Thyroid Disorder among the women present with Heavy menstrual bleeding in Sri Lankan women.

The Impact of Sea Level Rise on Roadway Design and Evacuation Routes in Delaware

As the global temperature continues to increase, the sea level continues to rise at a rapid rate that has never been seen before. This becomes an issue for many facets of life but one of the most impacted is the transportation infrastructure. Many people living in low elevation coastal areas can become trapped by flooding with no way in or out. With Delaware being a coastal state, this would affect a large portion of the population and will have detrimental effects over time if nothing is done to combat sea level rise. The issue with sea level rise in transportation is that once the roads become flooded, they become virtually unusable and detour routes would be needed. If all the roads in a coastal area were to be affected by sea level rise, the options for detours would become limited. This article looks at direct solutions to combat sea level rise and indirect solutions that would specifically help transportation infrastructure and evacuation routes in Delaware. There is not one solution that can fix every problem, so many solutions are laid out to see what is applicable to each affected area. Some solutions include defense structures that would be put close to the coast, raising the elevation of vulnerable roads throughout the state and including pumping stations to drain the water on the surface of the road. With an understanding of all these solutions around the world, the ultimate conclusion came in the form of a six-step plan that Delaware should take in order to best design against sea level rise in these coastal areas.

Core level excitation spectra of La and Mn ions in LaMnO3

Manganese-based perovskite is popular for research on ferromagnetic materials,and its spectroscopic studies are essential for understanding its electronic structure,dielectric,electrical,and magnetic properties.In this paper,the M-edge spectra of La ions and the M-edge,L-edge,and K-edge spectra of Mn ions in LaMnO3 are calculated by considering both the free-ion multiplet calculation and the crystal field effects.We analyze spectral shapes,identify peak origins,and estimate the oxidation states of La and Mn ions in LaMnO3 theoretically.It is concluded that La ions in LaMnO3 predominantly exist in the trivalent state,while Mn ions exist primarily in the trivalent state with a minor presence of tetravalent ions.Furthermore,the calculated spectra are in better conformity with the experimental spectra when the proportion of Mn3+is 90%and Mn4+is 10%.This article enhances our comprehension of the oxidation states of La and Mn within the crystal and also provides a valuable guidance for spectroscopic investigations of other manganates.

Emission and capture characteristics of deep hole trap in n-GaN by optical deep level transient spectroscopy

Emission and capture characteristics of a deep hole trap(H1)in n-GaN Schottky barrier diodes(SBDs)have been investigated by optical deep level transient spectroscopy(ODLTS).Activation energy(Eemi)and capture cross-section(σ_(p))of H1 are determined to be 0.75 eV and 4.67×10^(−15)cm^(2),respectively.Distribution of apparent trap concentration in space charge region is demonstrated.Temperature-enhanced emission process is revealed by decrease of emission time constant.Electricfield-boosted trap emission kinetics are analyzed by the Poole−Frenkel emission(PFE)model.In addition,H1 shows point defect capture properties and temperature-enhanced capture kinetics.Taking both hole capture and emission processes into account during laser beam incidence,H1 features a trap concentration of 2.67×10^(15)cm^(−3).The method and obtained results may facilitate understanding of minority carrier trap properties in wide bandgap semiconductor material and can be applied for device reliability assessment.

A hybrid CNN-LSTM model for diagnosing rice nutrient levels at the rice panicle initiation stage

Nitrogen(N)and potassium(K)are two key mineral nutrient elements involved in rice growth.Accurate diagnosis of N and K status is very important for the rational application of fertilizers at a specific rice growth stage.Therefore,we propose a hybrid model for diagnosing rice nutrient levels at the early panicle initiation stage(EPIS),which combines a convolutional neural network(CNN)with an attention mechanism and a long short-term memory network(LSTM).The model was validated on a large set of sequential images collected by an unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)from rice canopies at different growth stages during a two-year experiment.Compared with VGG16,AlexNet,GoogleNet,DenseNet,and inceptionV3,ResNet101 combined with LSTM obtained the highest average accuracy of 83.81%on the dataset of Huanghuazhan(HHZ,an indica cultivar).When tested on the datasets of HHZ and Xiushui 134(XS134,a japonica rice variety)in 2021,the ResNet101-LSTM model enhanced with the squeeze-and-excitation(SE)block achieved the highest accuracies of 85.38 and 88.38%,respectively.Through the cross-dataset method,the average accuracies on the HHZ and XS134 datasets tested in 2022 were 81.25 and 82.50%,respectively,showing a good generalization.Our proposed model works with the dynamic information of different rice growth stages and can efficiently diagnose different rice nutrient status levels at EPIS,which are helpful for making practical decisions regarding rational fertilization treatments at the panicle initiation stage.

A Hybrid Level Set Optimization Design Method of Functionally Graded Cellular Structures Considering Connectivity

With the continuous advancement in topology optimization and additive manufacturing(AM)technology,the capability to fabricate functionally graded materials and intricate cellular structures with spatially varying microstructures has grown significantly.However,a critical challenge is encountered in the design of these structures–the absence of robust interface connections between adjacent microstructures,potentially resulting in diminished efficiency or macroscopic failure.A Hybrid Level Set Method(HLSM)is proposed,specifically designed to enhance connectivity among non-uniform microstructures,contributing to the design of functionally graded cellular structures.The HLSM introduces a pioneering algorithm for effectively blending heterogeneous microstructure interfaces.Initially,an interpolation algorithm is presented to construct transition microstructures seamlessly connected on both sides.Subsequently,the algorithm enables the morphing of non-uniform unit cells to seamlessly adapt to interconnected adjacent microstructures.The method,seamlessly integrated into a multi-scale topology optimization framework using the level set method,exhibits its efficacy through numerical examples,showcasing its prowess in optimizing 2D and 3D functionally graded materials(FGM)and multi-scale topology optimization.In essence,the pressing issue of interface connections in complex structure design is not only addressed but also a robust methodology is introduced,substantiated by numerical evidence,advancing optimization capabilities in the realm of functionally graded materials and cellular structures.

Exploring Variability in Sea Level at a Tide Gauge Station through Control Charts

Monitoring temporal changes in sea level is important in assessing coastal risk.Sea level anomalies at a tide gauge station,if kinematically conceived,include systematic variations such as trend,acceleration,periodic oscillations,and random disturbances.Among them,the non-stationary nature of the random sea level variations of known or unknown origin at coastal regions has been long recognized by the sea level community.This study proposes the analyses of subgroups of random residual statistics of a rigorously formulated kinematic model solution of tide gauge variations using X-bar and S control charts.The approach is demonstrated using Key West,Florida tide gauge records.The mean and standard errors of 5-year-long subgroups of the residuals revealed that sea level changes at this location have been progressively intensifying from 1913 to the present.Increasing oscillations in sea level at this locality may be attributed partly to the thermal expansion of seawater with increasing temperatures causing larger buoyancy-related sea level fluctuations as well as the intensification of atmospheric events including wind patterns and the impact of changes in inverted barometer effects that will alter coastal risk assessments for the future.

Cumulative effects of excess high-normal alanine aminotransferase levels in relation to new-onset metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease in China

BACKGROUND Within the normal range,elevated alanine aminotransferase(ALT)levels are associated with an increased risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD).AIM To investigate the associations between repeated high-normal ALT measurements and the risk of new-onset MAFLD prospectively.METHODS A cohort of 3553 participants followed for four consecutive health examinations over 4 years was selected.The incidence rate,cumulative times,and equally and unequally weighted cumulative effects of excess high-normal ALT levels(ehALT)were measured.Cox proportional hazards regression was used to analyse the association between the cumulative effects of ehALT and the risk of new-onset MAFLD.RESULTS A total of 83.13%of participants with MAFLD had normal ALT levels.The incidence rate of MAFLD showed a linear increasing trend in the cumulative ehALT group.Compared with those in the low-normal ALT group,the multivariate adjusted hazard ratios of the equally and unequally weighted cumulative effects of ehALT were 1.651[95%confidence interval(CI):1.199-2.273]and 1.535(95%CI:1.119-2.106)in the third quartile and 1.616(95%CI:1.162-2.246)and 1.580(95%CI:1.155-2.162)in the fourth quartile,respectively.CONCLUSION Most participants with MAFLD had normal ALT levels.Long-term high-normal ALT levels were associated with a cumulative increased risk of new-onset MAFLD.

Lightning in a Forest (Wild) Fire: Mechanism at the Molecular Level

The mechanism of lightning that ignites a forest fire and the lightning that occurs above a forest fire are explained at the molecular level. It is based on two phenomena, namely, internal charge separation inside the atmospheric cloud particles and the existence of a layer of positively charged hydrogen atoms sticking out of the surface of the liquid layer of water on the surface of rimers. Strong turbulence-driven collisions of the ice particles and water droplets with the rimers give rise to breakups of the ice particles and water droplets into positively and negatively charged fragments leading to charge separation. Hot weather in a forest contributes to the updraft of hot and humid air, which follows the same physical/chemical processes of normal lightning proposed and explained recently[1]. Lightning would have a high probability of lighting up and burning the dry biological materials in the ground of the forest, leading to a forest (wild) fire. The burning of trees and other plants would release a lot of heat and moisture together with a lot of smoke particles (aerosols) becoming a strong updraft. The condition for creating lightning is again satisfied which would result in further lightning high above the forest wild fire.

Nested Levels of Hybrid Cryptographical Technique for Secure Information Exchange

Data security is a very important part of data transmission over insecure channels connected through high-speed networks. Due to COVID-19, the use of data transmission over insecure channels has increased in an exponential manner. Hybrid cryptography provides a better solution than a single type of cryptographical technique. In this paper, nested levels of hybrid cryptographical techniques are investigated with the help of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) and Paillier cryptographical techniques. In the first level, information will be encrypted by DNA and at the second level, the ciphertext of DNA will be encrypted by Paillier cryptography. At the decryption time, firstly Paillier cryptography will be processed, and then DAN cryptography will be processed to get the original text. The proposed algorithm follows the concept of Last Encryption First Decryption (LEFD) at the time of decryption. The computed results are depicted in terms of tables and graphs.

Measurement and Strategy Research on the Green Development Level for the New Energy Vehicle Industry in Chongqing City

This article takes 2016-2022 as the inspection period to construct an evaluation index system for the green development level of the new energy vehicle industry.The entropy method and comprehensive index are used to measure the green development level of the new energy vehicle industry in Chongqing,and compared with neighboring provinces such as Yunnan,Guizhou,and Sichuan.Policy recommendations are proposed to promote the development of the new energy vehicle industry in Chongqing City.

Low Level of Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Is Associated with Human Sperm Autophagy and Vitality

Low sperm motility is one of the main causes of male infertility. Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR, an anion channel protein) is related to the progressive motility of sperm. CFTR disruptor CFTRinh-172 or forskolin (FSK) in this study were used to treat human sperm separately, and the rates of sperm autophagy and progressive motility, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and ATP concentration, and the expression levels of related factors were detected to explore their relationship. It was showed that sperms treated with CFTRinh-172 or FSK reduced the levels of cAMP, CFTR and PKA, but increased sperm autophagy rate, expression levels of AMPK and LC3B. However, reactive oxygen species content had no significant difference. It was indicated that low level of CFTR performed with cAMP and its downstream effectors such as PKA and AMPK to regulate mitochondrial structure and function, leading to increased autophagy rate and reduced vitality of sperm.

思维进阶视域下英国A Level物理考试“文字表述”型试题的命题特色与启示

依据布鲁姆教育目标分类学,以2021—2023年A Level物理考试结构题试卷中占比较高的“文字表述”型试题为研究对象,通过构建用于试题知识维度及思维层次分析的类目框架,发现这类试题命制特色为:低阶/高阶思维——各显神通,知识类型关联思维层次——各尽所能,卷2/卷4——各司其职.“文字表述”型试题对命题的启示是:细化评分要点,把握思维关键点;搭建进阶式“思维支架”,引导突破思维定势.

Study on the Accuracy of Serum Prealbumin Level in Predicting the Prognosis of Patients with Critical Respiratory Illness

Objective: To analyze the accuracy of serum prealbumin levels in predicting the prognosis of patients with critical respiratory illness. Methods: Fifty patients with critical respiratory illness admitted to our hospital from October 2022 to September 2023 were selected and divided into an observation group and a control group after condition assessment, with 25 cases in each group. The results of cholinesterase (ChE), prealbumin (PALB), albumin (ALB), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total protein (TP), and forced expiratory volume (FEV1)/Predicted (Pred) of the two groups were measured. Results: The ChE levels of the observation group were lower than those of the control group, while the PALB and ALB levels of the observation group were higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05). The AST, TP, and FEV1 /Pred levels of the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Serum PALB levels can be used as the main indicator for prognosis in critically ill respiratory patients.

A Study on the Effects of Different Interaction Combinations and Language Levels on Continuous Writing in Online Environments

This study was conducted with non-English sophomore students,aiming to explore the effects of different interaction combinations and language levels on continuous writing in an online environment,and compare the differences in lexical alignments and composition quality of learners with different interaction combinations and language levels in the same continuous writing task through experiments.The results show that the mean values of the word-phrase alignment of the paired group were higher than those of the individual group in different interaction combinations,and the two groups showed significant differences;in terms of composition quality,the individual group was better than the paired group,but there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of task continuation.Secondly,the word-phrase alignment and composition scores of the different language-level groups were higher than those of the same language-level groups,and there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of word-phrase alignments,but not in terms of composition scores.The results of this study can be useful and informative for second language teachers in future continuous teaching in online environments.