Influence of Prenatal Surveillance on Maternal and Perinatal Prognosis: A Prospective Study over 6 Months at the Maternity Ward of the Owendo University Hospital (Gabon)

Introduction: The occurrence of pregnancy in women is a risky situation. Prenatal care is necessary, which is not often the case in our context. Aim: To analyze the influence of antenatal surveillance on maternal and perinatal prognosis. Patients and Method: Preliminary longitudinal and analytical survey at the Owendo University Hospital (OHU) over 6 months. It focused on prenatal surveillance. The study population consisted of parturients who gave birth within 24 hours and we studied sociodemographic characteristics, variables related to antenatal contact, those of delivery as well as maternal and newborn outcomes. Results: 2485 deliveries were recorded and 1300 patients were retained according to the inclusion criteria. No prenatal contact (ANC0) was performed in 93 (7.15%), insufficient (ANCI) in 943 patients (72.5%), and sufficient (ANCS) in 264 patients (20.30%). Patients with low school level were significantly found when the NPC was not performed or insufficient and the same was true for the group of patients who were not employed and those who were single (p < 0.005). The caesarean section rate and perinatal mortality are high in this case. Conclusion: The quality of prenatal contact is insufficient in our context. The absence or inadequacy of the latter has a strong negative impact on maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality.

Effect of Low Temperature and Sparse Light Conditions on Cold Tolerance of Different Rice Lines at Seedling Stage

Low temperature and sparse light in early spring is one of the factors causing reduction for rice production. So it is important to develop cold tolerance cultivars. In the present study, cold tolerance characters of 36 parents and 423 rice lines from 68 hybrid groups were investigated at seedling stage under low tempera- ture and sparse light conditions in field. There were 10 parent accessions with strong cold tolerance of level 1. Among them, 3 were common wild rice accessions; 4 were japonica rice cultivars; 2 were indica rice; 1 was offspring from hybrid be- tween indica and japonica.There were 33 lines with strong cold tolerance of level 1 from the hybrid groups of common wild rice,and 15 from the hybrid groups of IRBB5, and only 3 from the hybrid groups of BPHR96. There were abundant cold tolerance resources in rice germplasm. It was feasible to develop cold tolerance cul- tivars from the hybrids among common wild rice, japonica cultivars and indica culti- vars.

Design of Eco-friendly Ultra-high Performance Concrete with Supplementary Cementitious Materials and Coarse Aggregate

Aiming to investigate the mix design of eco-friendly UHPC with supplementary cementitious materials and coarser aggregates, we comprehensively studied the workability, microstructure, porosity, compressive strength, flexural strength, and Young’s modulus of UHPC. Relationship between compressive strength and Young’s modulus was obtained eventually. It is found that the compressive strength, flexural strength, and Young’s modulus of UHPC increase by 19.01%, 10.81%, and 5.99%, respectively, when 40 wt% cement is replaced with supplementary cementitious materials. The relationship between compressive strength and Young’s modulus of UHPC is an exponential form.

基于Afford ance的认知错觉性设计研究

随着生活水平的不断提高,人们在基本的物质需求得到满足后,越来越重视这些"物"之本身品质和情感体验的追求。本文通过对Afford ance和认知错觉性概念理论的梳理,阐述信息社会背景下基于Afford ance的认知错觉性设计的开发意义,进而分析该类设计的两种分类途径,最后整理得出将Afford ance和认知错觉性这两种看似相互矛盾的概念融合应用于高科技化产品设计之中的方法、思路。

SPEECH ENHANCEMENT BASED ON SECOND ORDER ARCHITECTURE AND INFORMATION MAXIMIZATION THEORY

Based on the idea of adaptive noise cancellation (ANC), a second order architecture is proposed for speech enhancement. According as the Information Maximization theory, the corresponding gradient descend algorithm is proposed. With real speech signals in the simulation, the new algorithm demonstrates its good performance in speech enhancement. The main advantage of the new architecture is that clean speech signals can be got with less distortion.

Influence of Velocity Overshoot Effect on High Frequency Perform- ance of AlGaAs / GaAs HBT's

The semiclassical transport equations are used to study the high frequency performance of AlGaAs / GaAs HBTs. Electron velocity overshoot effect and its influence on the cut off frequency characteristics of AlGaAs / GaAs HBTs with different collector design parameters are analyzed and discussed.

In vivo percutaneous reflectance spectroscopy of fatty liver development in rats suggests that the elevation of the scattering power is an early indicator of hepatic steatosis

This study assessed whether there was a scat tering spectral mar ker quantifiable by reflectance measurements that could indicate early development of hepatic steatosis in rats for potential applications to pre procurement organ evaluation.Sixteen rats were fed a methionine choline-deficient(MCD)diet and eight rats were fed a normal diet.Direct assessment of the liver parenchyma of rats in vivo was performed by percut aneous reflect ance spectroscopy using a single fiber probe at the beginning of diet-intake and arbitrary post-diet-intake times up to 11 weeks to render longitudinal comparison.Histological sampling of the liver over the duration of diet adm inistration was performed on two MCD diet treated rats and one control rat eutha-nized after reflectance spectroscopy measurement.The images of hematoxylin/eosin-stained liver specimens were analyzed morphometrically to evahuate the lipid size changes associated with the level of steatosis.The MCD-diet-treated group(n=16)had mild steatosis in seven rats,moderate in three rats,severe in six rats,and no other significant pathology.No control rats(n=8)developed hepatic steatosis.Among the parameters retrieved from per-SfS,only the scat tering power(can be either positive or negative)appeared to be statist ically diferent between MCD-treated and control livers.The scattering power for the 16 MCD-diet-treated livers at the time of euthanasia and presenting various levels of steatosis was 033±0.21,in comparison to 0.036±0.25 of the eight control livers(p=0.0189).When evaluated at days 12 and 13 combined,the scattering power of the 16 MCD-diet-treated livers was 032±0.17,in comparison to 0.10±0.11 of the eight control livers(p=0.0017).All of four MCD-treated livers harvested at days 12 and 13 presented mild steatosis with sub-micron size lipid droplets,even though none of the MCD-treated livers were sonogr aphically remarkable for fatty changes.The elevation of the scattering power may be a valuable marker indicating early hepatic steatosis before the steatosis is sonographically detectable.

DOX-CONJUGATED HIGH-QUALITY AgZnInS QDs FOR REVERSAL OF MULTIDRUG RESISTANCE

The synthesis of water-soluble quantum dots(QDs)has recently received extensive attention dueto noninvasive detection of biological information in living subjects.In this paper,high-qualitywater-soluble(cadmium-free)quaternary AgZnlnS QDs have been successfully synthesized usinga green synthetic route.The as-prepared QDs exhibit tunable photoluminescence(PL)emissionbetween 521 and 658 nm.Secondly,multidrug resistance(MDR)is a major impedinent to theeffective cancer chemot herapy,DOx,a widely used antit umor drug was modified on the surfaceof the QDs in this study.It,therefore,ignificantly enhanced the cytotoxicity of DX to MDRcancer cells as the QDs could bring the DoX to nucleus.

Attendance and Utilization of Antenatal Care (ANC) Services: Multi-Center Study in Upcountry Areas of Uganda

Introduction: Globally every year 529,000 maternal deaths occur, 99% of this in developing coun-tries. Uganda has high maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality ratios, typical of many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Recent findings reveal maternal mortality ratio of 435:100,000 live births and neonatal mortality rate of 29 deaths per 1000 live births in Uganda;these still remain a challenge. Women in rural areas of Uganda are two times less likely to attend ANC than the urban women. Most women in Uganda have registered late ANC attendance, averagely at 5.5 months of pregnancy and do not complete the required four visits. The inadequate utilization of ANC is greatly contributing to persisting high rates of maternal and neonatal mortality in Uganda. This study was set to identify the factors associated with late booking and inadequate utilization of Antenatal Care services in upcountry areas of Uganda. Method: Cross-sectional study design with mixed methods of interviewer administered questionnaires, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Data was entered using Epidata and analyzed using Stata into frequency tables using actual tallies and percentages. Ethical approval was sought from SOM-REC MakCHS under approval number “#REC REF 2012-117” before conducting the study. Results: A total of four hundred one were enrolled with the majority being in the age group 20 - 24 years (mean age, 25.87 ± 6.26). Health workers played a great role (72.04%), followed by the media (15.46%) and friends (12.50%) in creating awareness about ANC. A significant number of respondents went to TBAs with reasons such as “near and accessible”, “my husband decided”, and “they are the only people I know”. 37.63% of the respondents considered getting an antenatal Card as an importance of ANC. 71 (19.67%) respondents gave a wrong opinion (late) on booking time with reasons like demands at work, no problems during pregnancy, advised by friends, just to get a card, long distance and others didn’t know. Almost half of the respondents never knew the recommended number of visits. Religion, occupation, level of education, and parity were found to influence place of ANC attendance, number of ANC visits and booking time. Husbands were necessary to provide financial support, accompany their wives ANC clinic, and ensure that they complete the visits. But their response was poor due to: fear of routine investigations and constrained economically. Conclusion: The study findings show the actual rural setting of ANC services attendance and utilization. Much sensitization has to be done specifically in these rural areas to empower pregnant women and their husbands as to improve ANC attendance and utilization.

Apartheid and Resistance in South Africa 1948-1969

The paper discusses the historical establishment of the apartheid system in South Africa since 1948 and the resistance struggle of Africans against its racial policies until the year 1969. The first part of the paper deals with the origins of white domination in South Africa, going back to mid-seventeenth century with the Dutch aggression against African tribes all the way through to the twentieth century and the appearance of the main political parties behind the ideology of apartheid. The second part of the paper focuses on the internal opposition to the segregationist state created by the whites in South Africa. Opponents came from different circles： intellectuals, politicians, churchmen, civil servants, lawyers, doctors, etc. But the most prominent opponent of Apartheid was the Africa National Congress （ANC） which was founded in 1912. The third and final part analyses the international struggle against apartheid in the United Nations forums. This opposition took first the form of political and diplomatic actions against the racial system of South Africa, and then was materialized by economic sanctions which revealed to be the most susceptible to affect seriously the apartheid regime.

Hardware implementation of adaptive filter for noise cancellation using TMS320C6713

Daily, we experience the effects of audio noise, which contaminates the original information bearing signal with noise from its surrounding environment. This paper focuses on real-time hardware implementation of multi-tap adaptive noise cancellation （ANC） system by using the least mean square （LMS） algorithm on TMS320C6713 to remove undesired noise from a received signal for various audio related applications. Three different experiments are carried out by considering different audio inputs to test the efficiency of the designed ANC system. The ＇C＇ code implementation of LMS algorithm is introduced and simulated in code composer studio （CCS）, then realized on the digital signal processor （DSP） C6713. The 300 Hz, 500 Hz, 800 Hz, 1 kHz and 3 kHz of tone signals and male speech signal are used as the reference inputs to trace the noise of signal until it is eliminated. The performance of ANC system is studied in terms of convergence speed, order of the filter and signal-to-noise ratio （SNR）. The experimentam results demonstrate that the designed system shows a consider- able improvement in SNR.

Global glance

Lynas selects Kalgoorlie for new cracking&leaching plant Lynas Corporation Limited(ASX:LYC,OTC:LYSDY)("Lynas")announced that Kalgoorlie,Western Australia,has been selected as the location for its new cracking and leaching plant,creating new jobs and a first step in establishing a critical minerals hub in the Goldfields region.

传奇迭新,与S俱进--全新梅赛德斯-AMG C 63 S E PERFORMANCE

五十多年前,秉承‘与吾为伍’的精神,AMG的创始者打造了扬名赛道的品牌开山之作--‘红猪’300 SEL 6.8 AMG。眼下正值AMG品牌诞生55周年,全新梅赛德斯-AMG C 63 S E PERFORMANCE又将在现代汽车市场的舞台上,凭借混动技术打造的卓越性能,为用户提供优秀驾乘体验,再塑性能豪华的新标杆。

Effect of sharing health messages on antenatal care behavior among women involved in microfinance-based self-help groups in Bihar India

Background:Bihar state in India has one of the highest rates of maternal and infant mortality in South Asia.Microfinance-based self-help groups(SHGs),involving rural women,are being utilized to improve maternal and child health practice and reduce mortality.SHG members receive information on key maternal and child health practices as well as encouragement for their practice.This study measures the association of health messaging to SHG members with their antenatal care(ANC)behaviors.Methods:The study was conducted in eight districts of Bihar in 2016.A three-stage cluster sampling design(with a random selection of blocks,villages,and SHGs)selected the sample of 1204 SHG members who had an infant child;of these,597 women were members of SHGs that received dedicated sessions on health messages,while 607 women belonged to SHGs that did not.To examine the impact of the health intervention on ANC practice,radius caliper method of propensity score matching controlled for various socio-demographic characteristics between the two groups.Results:Most of the interviewed women(91.5%)belonged to a scheduled caste or tribe.Nearly 44%of SHG members exposed to the health intervention were engaged in some occupation,compared to 35%of those not exposed to the intervention.After matching unexposed SHG women with exposed SHG women,no significant differences were found in their socio-demographic characteristics.Findings suggest that exposure to a health intervention is associated with increased likelihood of at least four ANC visits by SHG women(ATE=7.2,95%CI:0.76-13.7,p<0.05),consumption of iron-folic acid for at least 100 days(ATE=8.7,95%CI:5.0-12.5,p<0.001)and complete ANC(ATE=3.6,95%CI:2.3-4.9,p<0.001),when compared to women not exposed to the health intervention.Conclusions:The study shows that sharing health messages in microfinance-based SHGs is associated with significant increase in ANC practice.While the results suggest the potential of microfinance-based SHGs for improved maternal health services,the approach’s sustainability needs to be further examined.

Enhancement of the immobilization and discrimination of DNA probe on a biosensor using gold nanoparticles

Nanoparticles have been widely utilized in biological research in recent years. 1,6-Hexanedithiol was used as the medium in this work to attach Au nanoparticles on thegold plates. We studied the immobilization and hybridization of DNA probes onto the resulted plates using the quartz crystal microbalance method. Approximately 3-5 times adsorption enhancement of HS-DNA on the plates was obtained under our experimental conditions. Using this DNA sensor, the sensitivity was promoted by approximately three times to 0.35μg/mL.

Grasping institutional complexity in infrastructure megaprojects through the multi-level governance system： A case study of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge construction

This study analyzes the design and operation of multi-level governance system for the smooth delivery of infrastructure mega-projects with high institutional complexity caused by market transition. From an institutional perspective, this study scrutinizes the structure,elements, and dynamics of the governance system of infrastructure mega-projects and then proposes an integrative framework based on the inductive case study of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge mega-project. Multiple evidences of archives, field studies, and interviews related to the case project are triangulated to further analyze the institutional effects, specifically those with government logics and market structures, on the design and operation of the three-level governance system. Results reveal that the co-evolution between governments and markets in China has shaped the vertical levels of the mega-project governance system and has further affected their evolution and operation across various stages of project development. This study contributes to the rapidly emerging research on complex system governance by proposing a systematic model of three-level mega-project governance to enhance the timely delivery of infrastructure megaprojects within budget.

Fast Affine Projection Algorithm for Adaptive Noise Canceling and Its Application on the Fetal Electrocardiogram Extraction

Aimed at the problem of adaptive noise canceling(ANC),three implementary algorithms which are least mean square(LMS) algorithm,recursive least square(RLS) algorithm and fast affine projection(FAP) algorithm,have been researched.The simulations were made for the performance of these algorithms.The extraction of fetal electrocardiogram(FECG) is applied to compare the application effect of the above algorithms.The proposed FAP algorithm has obvious advantages in computational complexity,convergence speed and steadystate error.

A dark vector resonance at CLIC

One of the main problems in particle physics is to understand the origin and nature of dark matter. An exciting possibility is to consider that dark matter belongs to a new complex but hidden sector. In this paper, we assume the existence of a strongly interacting dark sector consisting of a new scalar doublet and new vector resonances,in accordance with the model recently proposed by our group. Since it was found in the previous work that it is very challenging to find the new vector resonances at the LHC, here we study the possibility of finding them at the future Compact Linear Collider(CLIC) running at■= 3 TeV. We consider two distinct scenarios. In the first, when the non-standard scalars are heavy, the dark resonance is intense enough to make its discovery possible at CLIC when the resonance mass is in the range [2000, 3000] GeV. In the second scenario, when the non-standard scalars are light, the new vector boson is too broad to be recognized as a resonance, and is not detectable except when the mass of the scalars is close to(but smaller than) half of the resonance mass and the scale of the dark sector is high. In all positive cases, less than a tenth of the maximum integrated luminosity is needed to reach the discovery level. Finally, we also comment on the mono-Z production.

An all-directional interference cancelling system for large sonar array

The existence of strong interference is the main constraint factor, which influences the detection performance of a signal extraction system. For a sonar with large array the problem of anti-interferences in all-direction has not been solved yet because of the requirements of over-long time delay line and the over high input- output rate. A method proposed in this paper can be used in the design of adaptive signal processing system with large array for suppressing the strong interference in all-direction. This is a combined architecture of adaptive noise canceller (ANC)and a programmable DICANNE system.When the incident angle between signal θS and interference θI is small, the ANC system is used. When θs-θI is large, a programmable DICANNE system, with rising sampling rate, is used, so that an all-directional anti-interferences system can be obtained. The structure described in this paper is easy to implement in hardware by using DSP chips.The design diagram and implementable method in hardware is presented.

炎症性肠病患者自身抗体检测及其临床意义

目的；检测炎症性肠病患者血清听 性粒细胞胞浆抗体，抗肠杯状细胞抗体，抗胰外分泌腺抗体三种自身抗体，并探讨三种自身抗体与ＩＢＤ中溃疡性结肠炎和克隆病的关系及临床诊断应用价值。方法：应用间接免疫荧光法。结果：ＡＮＣＮ在ＩＢＤ患者中，常见于ＵＣ，同ＣＤ比较有显著性差异；抗肠杯状细胞状抗体，抗胰外分泌腺抗体多见于ＣＤ。结论：抗中性粒细胞胞浆抗体，抗肠杯状细胞抗体，抗胰外分泌腺抗体三种自身抗体检测。