Actors of Psychoactive Drug Initiation among Adolescents in Yaoundé-Cameroon

Introduction: Actors of psychoactive drug initiation refer to those who introduce others to psychoactive drug use (initiators) and those who are introduced to psychoactive drugs (users). By identifying their features, better prevention and intervention programs can be developed to reduce psychoactive drug use among adolescents. This article describes the role of actors of psychoactive drug initiation among teenagers in secondary schools in Yaoundé (Cameroon). Methodology: A cross sectional study was carried out in twelve secondary schools in Yaoundé from October 2022 to May 2023. Adolescents from Form four to upper sixth, who assented to participate in the study and received parental consent were included. Data were collected in a structured self-reported questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS 23. Quantitative variables were expressed using means, standard deviations, median and interquartile ranges depending on the distribution of data. Qualitative variables were expressed in the form of frequency and percentages. Results: Drug use was more prevalent among male adolescents (55.3%) from nuclear families (91.4%) who received relatively high pocket money. The main sources of drug exposure were non-family members (49.7%), especially friends outside school. The most frequent place of initiation was snack bars (33.1%). Conclusion: The study revealed the importance of the family, friends and leisure places in the initiation process of drug use in teenagers. Based on these results, parents and school authorities should work together to create a safe and supportive environment that fosters communication, education to prevent drug abuse among adolescents in Yaoundé.

Effects of the initiation position on the damage and fracture characteristics of linear-charge blasting in rock

To study the effects of the initiation position on the damage and fracture characteristics of linear-charge blasting, blasting model experiments were conducted in this study using computed tomography scanning and three-dimensional reconstruction methods. The fractal damage theory was used to quantify the crack distribution and damage degree of sandstone specimens after blasting. The results showed that regardless of an inverse or top initiation, due to compression deformation and sliding frictional resistance, the plugging medium of the borehole is effective. The energy of the explosive gas near the top of the borehole is consumed. This affects the effective crushing of rocks near the top of the borehole, where the extent of damage to Sections Ⅰ and Ⅱ is less than that of Sections Ⅲ and Ⅳ. In addition, the analysis revealed that under conditions of top initiation, the reflected tensile damage of the rock at the free face of the top of the borehole and the compression deformation of the plug and friction consume more blasting energy, resulting in lower blasting energy efficiency for top initiation. As a result, the overall damage degree of the specimens in the top-initiation group was significantly smaller than that in the inverse-initiation group. Under conditions of inverse initiation, the blasting energy efficiency is greater, causing the specimen to experience greater damage. Therefore, in the engineering practice of rock tunnel cut blasting, to utilize blasting energy effectively and enhance the effects of rock fragmentation, using the inverse-initiation method is recommended. In addition, in three-dimensional(3D) rock blasting, the bottom of the borehole has obvious end effects under the conditions of inverse initiation, and the crack distribution at the bottom of the borehole is trumpet-shaped. The occurrence of an end effect in the 3D linear-charge blasting model experiment is related to the initiation position and the blocking condition.

Understanding the Global Identification with China’s Stories: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

Cross-cultural storytelling is a primary way for humankind to seek mutual recognition of value orientations between cultures,which facilitates the ability to jointly address the problems of human existence in the context of globalization.In this study,we conducted an interview survey of 6,130 respondents who were college students or graduates from 107 countries.The results show that there were a number of cross-cultural values embodied in China’s stories seen by the respondents as part of a common vision for the future of humankind and widely identified guidance on collaborative responses to global challenges.These cross-cultural values are common prosperity,ecological harmony,individual-collective integration,the urgency of global peace,as well as respect for multicultural and indigenous development paths.

Frost heaving and crack initiation characteristics of tunnel rock mass in cold regions under low-temperature degradation

Water freezing in rock fractures causes volumetric expansion and fracture development through frost heaving.This study introduces a novel analytical model to investigate how uneven freezing force and surrounding rock pressure influence fracture initiation,based on mass conservation,elasticity,and water-ice phase transition principles.A model for rock fracture initiation considering freezing temperature,uneven freezing expansion,in-situ stress,and lateral pressure was proposed based on fracture mechanics.Equations for stress intensity factors were developed and validated using the phase field method.The effects of rock elastic modulus anisotropy and critical fracture energy density on fracture initiation were also discussed.The results show that the values of KI and KII exhibit an upward trend as the freezing temperature,uneven expansion,in-situ stress,and lateral pressure increase.The uneven freezing expansion has the most significant influence on KI and KII values among these parameters.As the uneven freezing expansion coefficient increases to 0.5,the fracture initiation mode shifts from tensile fracture to shear fracture.As the lateral pressure coefficient increases to 1,the fracture initiation mode shifts from tensile fracture to shear fracture.Rock elastic modulus anisotropy causes fractures to propagate in a clockwise direction,forming a'butterfly'pattern.Critical fracture energy density an isotropy causes counterclockwise deviation in propagation direction,resulting in branching paths and an'H'-shaped pattern.

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.

Molecular cloning,characterization and promoter analysis of LbgCWIN1 and its expression profiles in response to exogenous sucrose during in vitro bulblet initiation in lily

Lily(Lilium spp.) is an important ornamental flower, which is mainly propagated by bulbs. Cell wall invertases(CWINs), which catalyze the irreversibly conversion of sucrose into glucose and fructose in the extracellular space, are key enzymes participating in sucrose allocation in higher plants. Previous studies have shown that CWINs play an essential role in bulblet initiation process in bulbous crops, but the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. Here, a CWIN gene of Lilium brownii var. giganteum(Lbg) was identified and amplified from genomic DNA. Quantitative RT-PCR assays revealed that the expression level of LbgCWIN1 was highly upregulated exactly when the endogenous starch degraded in non-sucrose medium during in vitro bulblet initiation in Lbg. Phylogenetic relationship, motif, and domain analysis of LbgCWIN1 protein and CWINs in other plant species showed that all sequences of these CWIN proteins were highly conserved. The promoter sequence of LbgCWIN1 possessed a number of alpha-amylase-, phytohormone-, light-and stress-responsive cis-elements. Meanwhile, β-glucuronidase(GUS) assay showed that the 459 bp upstream fragment from the translational start site displayed maximal promoter activity. These results revealed that LbgCWIN1 might function in the process of in vitro bulblet initiation and be in the response to degradation of endogenous starch.

Shock Initiation Experiments with Modeling on a DNAN Based MeltCast Insensitive Explosive

2,4-dinitroanisole(DNAN)is a good replacement for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene(TNT)in melt-cast explosives due to its superior insensitivity.With the increasing use of DNAN-based melt-cast explosives,the prediction of reaction violence and hazard assessment of the explosives subjected to shock is of great significance.This study investigated the shock initiation characteristics for a DNAN-based melt-cast explosive,DHFA,using the one-dimensional Lagrangian apparatus.The embedded manganin gauges in the apparatus record the pressure histories at four Lagrangian positions and show that shock-todetonation transition in DHFA needs a high input shock pressure.The experimental data are analyzed to calibrate the Ignition and Growth model.The calibration is performed using an objective function based on both pressure history and the arrival time of shock.Good agreement between experimental and calculated pressure histories indicates the high accuracy of the calibrated parameters with the optimization method.

Research on Strategies for Enhancing the Ability of Chinese German Learners to Tell Chinese Stories Through Short Videos

In the age of new media,short videos play an increasingly important role in international cultural exchange.However,German learners often encounter challenges when producing and sharing short videos due to factors such as technology and language proficiency.Such challenges can affect the professionalism and attractiveness of the videos.This study focuses on German learners at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology.The aim of this study is to investigate students’experiences in producing short videos,identify issues through surveys and interviews,and concentrate on editing skills,language proficiency,and intercultural communication abilities.It proposes strategies for developing these skills and aims to provide insights for German and other foreign language learners in telling Chinese stories using short videos.

A Study of a Moral Dilemma Stories Teaching Model Focusing on the Development of Higher-Order Thinking --"Synthetic polymers" as an example

Cultivating students'higher-order thinking is one of the important goals of modern education,and innovative teaching model is an effective way to achieve this goal.Aiming at the inadequacy of the existing moral dilemma stories approach in the transformation of knowledge and behavior,this research constructs a new Project Based Learning-Ethical Dilemma Stories(PBL-EDS)Teaching Model applicable to China's secondary education stage based on the innovative features of the moral dilemma stories approach on the core competencies,taking the chemistry subject as an example to carry out practice,and puts forward suggestions for the implementation of the teaching model.Chemistry as an example to carry out the practice,and suggestions are made for the implementation of the teaching model.

Practical Paths for Integrating“Stories of China”in the New Era into Ideological and Political Education in Universities

As socialism with Chinese characteristics enters a new era,ideological and political education in universities is presented with new opportunities.Telling the“Stories of China”is not only necessary for inheriting and promoting the excellent traditional Chinese culture but also an important way to build the socialist core value system and cultivate qualified builders of socialism.Effectively integrating the“Stories of China”with the ideological and political theory courses in universities is of great significance for guiding students to establish correct worldviews,outlooks on life,and values.This paper focuses on the practical paths of integrating the“Stories of China”with ideological and political theory in universities,deeply analyzes the existing integration mechanisms,principles to follow,and challenges faced,and explores innovative paths.It aims to provide a new perspective for ideological and political education in universities,promote the comprehensive development of students,and provide solid theoretical support for cultivating qualified socialist builders.

Timing of Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy Initiation in Sepsis-Associated Acute Kidney Injury: A Comprehensive Review and Future Directions

This review examines the application of continuous renal replacement therapy(CRRT)in patients with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury(S-AKI),with a particular focus on the timing of CRRT initiation.This review addresses the controversy surrounding initiation timing and proposes future research directions.Through a systematic review of recent literature on CRRT for S-AKI,working principles,therapeutic mechanisms,initiation timing of CRRT,and related meta-analyses were summarized.Current studies indicate that the optimal timing for CRRT initiation in S-AKI patients remains inconclusive,with ongoing debate regarding whether early initiation significantly improves patient survival and renal function.This lack of consensus reflects the heterogeneity of the S-AKI patient population and the limitations of existing research methodologies.Future studies should focus on advancing the application of precision medicine in S-AKI and developing individualized treatment strategies by integrating multidimensional information to optimize CRRT utilization and improve patient outcomes.

Characterization of subduction initiation

Compression is required for all kinds of subduction initiations,which may cause either subsidence or uplift,depending on the ages of the oceanic plates.Subduction initiations associated with the old oceanic crust tend to amplify preexisting subsidence by compression,whereas those associated with young oceanic plates may result in uplift.

Detonation driving rules for cylindrical casings under asymmetrical multipoint initiations

The detonation wave-aiming warhead can effectively enhance the lethality efficiency. In the past, rules for casing rupture and velocity distribution under asymmetrical initiations were not adequately investigated. In this study, X-ray photography and numerical modelling are used to examine the casing expansions under centre point, asymmetrical one-point, and asymmetrical two-point(with central angles of 45° and 90°) initiations. The results indicate that early casing ruptures are caused by local high pressures, induced by the initiation, detonation wave interaction, and Mach wave onset. The fragment shapes are controlled by the impact angle of the detonation wave. The fragment velocity distributions differ under different initiation types, and the end rarefaction waves can affect the velocity distribution.This study can serve as a reference for the design and optimization of high-efficiency warheads.

Translocation and Distribution of Carbon-Nitrogen in Relation to Rice Yield and Grain Quality as Affected by High Temperature at Early Panicle Initiation Stage

Due to climate change, extreme heat stress events have become more frequent, adversely affecting rice yield and grain quality. The accumulation and translocation of dry matter and nitrogen substances are essential for rice yield and grain quality. To assess the impact of high temperature stress(HTS) at the early panicle initiation(EPI) stage on the accumulation, transportation, and distribution of dry matter and nitrogen substances in various organs of rice, as well as the resulting effects on rice yield and grain quality, pot experiments were conducted using an indica rice cultivar Yangdao 6(YD6) and a japonica rice cultivar Jinxiangyu 1(JXY1) under both normal temperature(32 ℃/26 ℃) and high temperature(38 ℃/29 ℃) conditions. The results indicated that exposure to HTS at the EPI stage significantly decreased rice yield by reducing spikelet number per panicle, grain-filling rate, and grain weight. However, it improved the nutritional quality of rice grains by increasing protein and amylose contents. The reduction in nitrogen and dry matter accumulation accounted for the changes in spikelet number per panicle, grain-filling rate, and grain size. Under HTS, the decrease in nitrogen accumulation accompanied by the reduction in dry matter may be due to the down-regulation of leaf net photosynthesis and senescence, as evidenced by the decrease in nitrogen content. Furthermore, the decrease in sink size limited the translocation of dry matter and nitrogen substances to grains, which was closely related to the reduction in grain weight and the deterioration of grain quality. These findings significantly contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms of HTS on grain yield and quality formation from the perspective of dry matter and nitrogen accumulation and translocation. Further efforts are needed to improve the adaptability of rice varieties to climate change in the near future.

Brassinosteroids Mediate Endogenous Phytohormone Metabolism to Alleviate High Temperature Injury at Panicle Initiation Stage in Rice

High temperatures cause physiological and biochemical changes and significantly affect young panicle development of rice(Oryza sativa L.).Brassinosteroids play important roles in enhancing crop stress resistance.In this study,we subjected rice cultivars Huanghuazhan(heat-resistant)and IR36(heat-sensitive)to high temperature(HT,40 oC)or normal temperature(NT,33 oC)for 7 d at the panicle initiation stage,in conjunction with application of 24-epibrassinolide[EBR,a synthetic brassinolide(BR)]or brassinazole(BRZ,a BR biosynthesis inhibitor)at the beginning of the treatments.HT exacerbated spikelet degeneration and inhibited young panicle growth,which were partially prevented by EBR application,while BRZ application aggravated the reduction in spikelet number.HT decreased the contents of BR,active cytokinins(aCTK),active gibberellins(aGA)and indole-3-acetic acid(IAA),but increased the content of abscisic acid(ABA)in young panicles.The activities of key enzymes involved in sucrose hydrolysis,glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle in young panicles were decreased with the change of endogenous hormone levels under HT.In addition,the contents of H2O2 and malondialdehyde(MDA)were increased and the activities of antioxidant enzymes were decreased in young panicles.Exogenous application of EBR induced the expression of phytohormone biosynthesis-related genes and down-regulated the expression of phytohormone catabolism-related genes to increase the contents of endogenous BR,aCTK,aGA and ABA,thus promoting the decomposition and utilization of sucrose in young panicles,enhancing the activities of superoxide dismutase,catalase and peroxidase,and reducing the accumulation of H2O2 and MDA in young panicles,whereas application of BRZ had the opposite physiological effects.These results showed that brassinosteroids mediate endogenous phytohormone metabolism to alleviate HT injury at the panicle initiation stage in rice.

Hero Hua Mulan With a Thousand Faces:Why Chinese Stories Can Move the World?Evidence From a Global Cross-Cultural Interview Survey

While people from Western countries do not always understand of the underlying cultural values of most Chinese stories,the Hua Mulan story has gained significant recognition from Western audiences.Therefore,it would be quite beneficial if we could understand the key elements that have contributed to the success of the Hua Mulan story so that we can employ similar elements in other intercultural communication programs and promote the communication and dissemination of cultures between China and the rest of the world.According to the findings from the interviews of 6,130 respondents from 107 countries,we found that the Hua Mulan story gains global acceptance because it represents a story of“a hero with a thousand faces,”which embodies the integration of Chinese traditions and contemporary spirit through sharing a global meaning while responding to various culturally common challenges.Five key cultural value dimensions are responsible for this Chinese story’s cross-cultural affinity and influence,which helped it win recognition and empathy worldwide.The five key cultural value dimensions are loyalty and patriotism,the courage to take responsibility,compatibility of individualism and collectivism,respondence to the multicultural appeal,and hero growth.These dimensions are then generalized as the value identity orientation grounded in a Global Shared Meaning(GSM)in this study.

Coupling between the Cenozoic west Pacific subduction initiation and decreases of atmospheric carbon dioxides

At the beginning of the Cenozoic,the atmospheric CO_(2)concentration increased rapidly from~2000 ppmv at 60 Ma to~4600 ppmv at 51 Ma,which is 5–10 times higher than the present value,and then continuous declined from~51 to 34 Ma.The cause of this phenomenon is still not well understood.In this study,we demonstrate that the initiation of Cenozoic west Pacific plate subduction,triggered by the hard collision in the Tibetan Plateau,occurred at approximately 51 Ma,coinciding with the tipping point.The water depths of the Pacific subduction zones are mostly below the carbonate compensation depths,while those of the Neo-Tethys were much shallower before the collision and caused far more carbonate subducting.Additionally,more volcanic ashes erupted from the west Pacific subduction zones,which consume CO_(2).The average annual west Pacific volvano eruption is 1.11 km~3,which is higher than previous estimations.The amount of annual CO_(2)absorbed by chemical weathering of additional west Pacific volcanic ashes could be comparable to the silicate weathering by the global river.We propose that the initiation of the western Pacific subduction controlled the long-term reduction of atmospheric CO_(2)concentration.

Discussion on “Impact of orientation of blast initiation on ground vibrations” [J Rock Mech Geotech Eng 15 (2022) 255e261]

Recently,Garai et al.(2022)published a paper on the impact of orientation of blast initiation on ground vibrations.However,some of the claims are not supported by the results of the given tests.In Fig.1(see Fig.8 in Garai et al.,2022),there are contours of measured vibration velocities in 4 directions(every 90?)and an incorrect interpretation between them.By placing all measured vibration velocity values(Gerai et al.,2022)at well-defined points on a single figure,it was not possible to precisely determine the type of vibration velocity,such as radial,tangential and vertical vibration velocities,with their different shapes.An incorrect conclusion was also drawn about the direction of the highest vibration velocity.The paper by Garai et al.(2022)measured the vibrational velocity of the medium through which the seismic wave passed,but used the incorrect term shock wave.The shock wave would have destroyed the seismic measuring instruments.A superposition of the vibrational velocity was considered,but not combined with the vibrational frequency of the seismic wave.This paper presents a method for selecting the time delay between successively initiated explosive charges to the measured frequency of the seismic wave,so that the direction of initiation of the explosive charges does not affect the vibration velocity of the ground through which the seismic wave passes.The theoretical and measured shapes and waveforms of radial velocity and tangential velocity in an opencast lignite mine are then presented.Moreover,the conditions for the formation of shock wave,transition wave and seismic waves are presented.

Impact of orientation of blast initiation on ground vibrations

The blast-induced ground vibrations can be significantly controlled by varying the location and orien-tation of point of interest from blast site.The blast waves generated due to individual holes get super-imposed and resultant peak particle velocity(PPV)generates.With the orientation sequence of holes blasts on site,the superimposition angle of wave changes and hence results in significant variation in resultant PPV.The orientation with respect to the initiation of blasts resulting in lowest PPV needs to be identified for any site.By knowing the PPV contour of vibration waves in mine sites,it is possible to reduce the vibration on the structures by changing the initiation sequence.In this paper,experimental blasts were conducted at two different mine sites and the PPV values were recorded at different ori-entations from the blast site and its initiation sequence.The PPV contours were drawn to identify the orientation with least and highest PPV generation line.It was found that by merely changing the initi-ation sequence of blasts with respect to the sensitive structure or point of interest,the PPV values can be reduced significantly up to 76.9%.

Preliminary discussion on the ignition mechanism of exploding foil initiators igniting boron potassium nitrate

Exploding foil initiator(EFI)is a kind of advanced device for initiating explosives,but its function is unstable when it comes to directly igniting pyrotechnics.To solve the problem,this research aims to reveal the ignition mechanism of EFIs directly igniting pyrotechnics.An oscilloscope,a photon Doppler velocimetry,and a plasma spectrum measurement system were employed to obtain information of electric characteristics,impact pressure,and plasma temperature.The results of the electric characteristics and the impact pressure were inconsistent with ignition results.The only thing that the ignition success tests had in common was that their plasma all had a relatively long period of high-temperature duration(HTD).It eventually concludes that the ignition mechanism in this research is the microconvection heat transfer rather than the shock initiation,which differs from that of exploding foil initiators detonating explosives.Furthermore,the methods for evaluating the ignition success of semiconductor bridge initiators are not entirely applicable to the tests mentioned in this paper.The HTD is the critical parameter for judging the ignition success,and it is influenced by two factors:the late time discharge and the energy of the electric explosion.The longer time of the late time discharge and the more energy of the electric explosion,the easier it is to expand the HTD,which improves the probability of the ignition success.