Impact of School Canteens on School Retention and Academic Performance in the Atlantic Department (Benin)

In Benin, obstacles to universal access to primary education persist. In rural areas, enrolment and attendance rates remain low due to several factors. Families living in poverty may not be able to afford to send their children to school;although the government has eliminated primary school fees, parents still have to buy school uniforms and supplies. There is also an opportunity cost associated with sending girls to school, rather than keeping them at home where they can help their mothers with household chores and look after their younger siblings (School canteens in Benin to improve student enrolment and retention in partnership with parents’ associations, 2008). Prior to 2016, the school feeding system was in its infancy, with canteens operated for only three months of the year. However, thanks to determined government reforms, the school canteen system has undergone a profound transformation. The implementation of a USD 79 million has not only not only increased coverage from coverage from 30% to 75% today, but also set the ambitious target ambitious goal of achieving 100% coverage by the end of 2023 [1]. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of canteens on school retention and children’s academic performance. We conducted a descriptive and analytical diagnostic survey using a questionnaire designed for parents of schoolchildren. Canteens increase and maintain the number of children in our schools, especially when the providers start their activities, in this case those traveling long distances. Almost all the parents surveyed believe that the school canteen has had an impact on their children’s motivation to attend school and class, and consequently on their performance. For example, for all parents surveyed, the school canteen has reduced the risk of children dropping out of school, especially girls (97%), although the difference with boys (95%) remains small and is not statistically significant. What’s more, since the advent of the PNASI, in the Atlantic department, the CEP pass rate in schools with canteens far exceeds that of schools without canteens. This shows that canteens play a major and positive role in the retention and success of the schoolchildren who benefit from them.

Assessing the Impact of Regulations on Radiation Safety Culture and Practices in Radiology Departments

Background: The need to establish a strong culture around radiation safety is derived from the assertion that medical practitioners, patients, and third parties should not be exposed to unnecessary radiation. Authorities have endeavored to enact policies to protect all employers and patients in radiology departments. Objectives: To assess the impact of radiation safety practices and regulations on the ongoing improvements in radiation safety culture and practices in radiology departments. This will be achieved through a subjective assessment of national and international rules and regulations by healthcare professionals. Materials and Methods: We conducted a questionnaire survey in the radiology departments of three JCI-accredited hospitals in the Riyadh region to identify and assess the impact of national radiation regulations and the accompanying processes on the improvement of radiation safety culture and practices in radiology departments. Results: There were statistically significant differences in the grading system results among various groups of respondents, based on their educational level. Also, there are statistically significant differences between the assessments of safety level results in the answers provided by various groups of respondents according to education level in favor of the master’s degree. Conclusion: The study concludes that technicians with a diploma degree require stricter regulation. Furthermore, the results of this study suggest that an exposure tracking system and a regulatory action supporting it may be useful in the ongoing task of improving patients’ radiation safety.

The impact of demographic dynamics on food consumption and its environmental outcomes:Evidence from China

With increasing population and changing demographics,food consumption has experienced a significant transition in quantity and quality.However,a dearth of knowledge remains regarding its environmental impacts and how it responds to demographic dynamics,particularly in emerging economies like China.Using the two-stage Quadratic Almost Demand System(QUAIDS)model,this study empirically examines the impact of demographic dynamics on food consumption and its environmental outcomes based on the provincial data from 2000 to 2020 in China.Under various scenarios,according to changes in demographics,we extend our analysis to project the long-term trend of food consumption and its environmental impacts,including greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions,water footprint(WF),and land appropriation(LA).The results reveal that an increase in the proportion of senior people significantly decreases the consumption of grain and livestock meat and increases the consumption of poultry,egg,and aquatic products,particularly for urban residents.Moreover,an increase in the proportion of males in the population leads to higher consumption of poultry and aquatic products.Correspondingly,in the current scenario of an increased aging population and sex ratio,it is anticipated that GHG emissions,WF,and LA are likely to decrease by 1.37,2.52,and 3.56%,respectively.More importantly,in the scenario adhering to the standards of nutritional intake according to the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents in 2022,GHG emissions,WF,and LA in urban areas would increase by 12.78,20.94,and 18.32%,respectively.Our findings suggest that changing demographics should be considered when designing policies to mitigate the diet-environment-health trilemma and achieve sustainable food consumption.

Correction:Impact of Transition Metal Layer Vacancy on the Structure and Performance of P2 Type Layered Sodium Cathode Material

Following publication of the original article[1],the authors reported that the author Hun-Gi Jung should be affiliated as 3,4 and 5 instead of 4 and 5.The author’s name“A.-Yeon Kim”needed to be updated to“A-Yeon Kim”,removing the period.The correct author’s name and affiliation have been provided in this Correction.The original article[1]has been corrected.

Impact resistance performance and optimization of the sand-EPE composite cushion in rock sheds

Rock sheds are widely used to prevent rockfall disasters along roads in mountainous areas.To improve the capacity of rock sheds for resisting rockfall impact,a sand and expandable polyethylene(EPE)composite cushion was proposed.A series of model experiments of rockfall impact on rock sheds were conducted,and the buried depth of the EPE foam board in the sand layer was considered.The impact load and dynamic response of the rock shed were investigated.The results show that the maximum impact load and dynamic response of the rock shed roof are all significantly less than those of the sand cushion.Moreover,as the distance between the EPE foam board and rock shed roof decreases,the maximum rockfall impact force and impact pressure gradually decrease,and the maximum displacement,acceleration and strain of the rock shed first decrease and then change little.In addition,the vibration acceleration and vertical displacement of the rock shed roof decrease from the centre to the edge and decrease faster along the longitudinal direction than that along the transverse direction.In conclusion,the buffering effect of the sand-EPE composite cushion is better than that of the pure sand cushion,and the EPE foam board at a depth of 1/3 the thickness of the sand layer is appropriate.

Impacts of Future Changes in Heavy Precipitation and Extreme Drought on the Economy over South China and Indochina

Heavy precipitation and extreme drought have caused severe economic losses over South China and Indochina(INCSC)in recent decades.Given the areas with large gross domestic product(GDP)in the INCSC region are distributed along the coastline and greatly affected by global warming,understanding the possible economic impacts induced by future changes in the maximum consecutive 5-day precipitation(RX5day)and the maximum consecutive dry days(CDD)is critical for adaptation planning in this region.Based on the latest data released by phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project(CMIP6),future projections of precipitation extremes with bias correction and their impacts on GDP over the INCSC region under the fossil-fueled development Shared Socioeconomic Pathway(SSP5-8.5)are investigated.Results indicate that RX5day will intensify robustly throughout the INCSC region,while CDD will lengthen in most regions under global warming.The changes in climate consistently dominate the effect on GDP over the INCSC region,rather than the change of GDP.If only considering the effect of climate change on GDP,the changes in precipitation extremes bring a larger impact on the economy in the future to the provinces of Hunan,Jiangxi,Fujian,Guangdong,and Hainan in South China,as well as the Malay Peninsula and southern Cambodia in Indochina.Thus,timely regional adaptation strategies are urgent for these regions.Moreover,from the sub-regional average viewpoint,over two thirds of CMIP6 models agree that maintaining a lower global warming level will reduce the economic impacts from heavy precipitation over the INCSC region.

A novel approach to the dynamic response analysis of Euler-Bernoulli beams resting on a Winkler soil model and subjected to impact loads

This work presents a novel approach to the dynamic response analysis of a Euler-Bernoulli beam resting on a Winkler soil model and subjected to an impact loading.The approach considers that damping has much less importance in controlling the maximum response to impulsive loadings because the maximum response is reached in a very short time,before the damping forces can dissipate a significant portion of the energy input into the system.The development of two sine series solutions,relating to different types of impulsive loadings,one involving a single concentrated force and the other a distributed line load,are presented.This study revealed that when a simply supported Euler-Bernoulli beam,resting on a Winkler soil model,is subject to an impact load,the resulting vertical displacements,bending moments and shear forces produced along the span of the beam are considerably affected.In particular,the quantification of this effect is best observed,relative to the corresponding static solution,via an amplification factor.The computed impact amplification factors,for the sub-grade moduli used in this study,were in magnitude greater than 2,thus confirming the multiple-degree-of-freedom nature of the problem.

Effects of projectile parameters on the momentum transfer and projectile melting during hypervelocity impact

The effects of projectile/target impedance matching and projectile shape on energy,momentum transfer and projectile melting during collisions are investigated by numerical simulation.By comparing the computation results with the experimental results,the correctness of the calculation and the statistical method of momentum transfer coefficient is verified.Different shapes of aluminum,copper and heavy tungsten alloy projectiles striking aluminum,basalt,and pumice target for impacts up to 10 km/s are simulated.The influence mechanism of the shape of the projectile and projectile/target density on the momentum transfer was obtained.With an increase in projectile density and length-diameter ratio,the energy transfer time between the projectile and targets is prolonged.The projectile decelerates slowly,resulting in a larger cratering depth.The energy consumed by the projectile in the excavation stage increased,resulting in lower mass-velocity of ejecta and momentum transfer coefficient.The numerical simulation results demonstrated that for different projectile/target combinations,the higher the wave impedance of the projectile,the higher the initial phase transition velocity and the smaller the mass of phase transition.The results can provide theoretical guidance for kinetic impactor design and material selection.

Trends in oxycodone and oxycodone-containing analgesics administration for back pain in emergency departments in the USA(2007–2018)

BACKGROUND:To describe trends in oxycodone and oxycodone-containing analgesic prescribing for the treatment of back pain among adults in emergency departments(EDs) in the USA from 2007 to 2018.METHODS:Data were gathered from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey(NHAMCS) from 2007 to 2018.The study population included individuals of all ages presenting to USA EDs.The NHAMCS reasons for visit and oxycodone drug ID codes were used to isolate patients with back pain.The main outcome was the proportion of oxycodone and oxycodone-containing analgesics prescribed for back pain in the EDs over the specified time period.RESULTS:There was a relative decrease in the overall administration of oxycodone for back pain in the EDs by 62.3% from 2007(244,000 visits) to 2018(92,000 visits).The proportion of ED patients prescribed with oxycodone-containing analgesics for back pain increased among patients aged 45 years and older(from 43.8% to 57.6%),female patients(from 54.5% to 62.0%),black patients(from 22.5% to 30.4%),and Hispanic/Latino patients(from 9.4% to 19.6%).Oxycodone/acetaminophen was most prescribed and accounted for 90.2% of all oxycodone-containing analgesics in 2007,with a decrease to 68.5% in 2018.Pure oxycodone was the second most prescribed medication,accounting for 6.1% in 2007 and 31.5% in 2018.CONCLUSION:The overall number of oxycodone-containing analgesics decreased significantly from 2007 to 2018.However,that number trended upward in 45-year-old and older,female,black,or Hispanic/Latino patients from 2007 to 2018.The total amount of pure oxycodone increased significantly from 2007 to 2008.

Prediction of sepsis within 24 hours at the triage stage in emergency departments using machine learning

BACKGROUND:Sepsis is one of the main causes of mortality in intensive care units(ICUs).Early prediction is critical for reducing injury.As approximately 36%of sepsis occur within 24 h after emergency department(ED)admission in Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care(MIMIC-IV),a prediction system for the ED triage stage would be helpful.Previous methods such as the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment(qSOFA)are more suitable for screening than for prediction in the ED,and we aimed to fi nd a light-weight,convenient prediction method through machine learning.METHODS:We accessed the MIMIC-IV for sepsis patient data in the EDs.Our dataset comprised demographic information,vital signs,and synthetic features.Extreme Gradient Boosting(XGBoost)was used to predict the risk of developing sepsis within 24 h after ED admission.Additionally,SHapley Additive exPlanations(SHAP)was employed to provide a comprehensive interpretation of the model's results.Ten percent of the patients were randomly selected as the testing set,while the remaining patients were used for training with 10-fold cross-validation.RESULTS:For 10-fold cross-validation on 14,957 samples,we reached an accuracy of 84.1%±0.3%and an area under the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve of 0.92±0.02.The model achieved similar performance on the testing set of 1,662 patients.SHAP values showed that the fi ve most important features were acuity,arrival transportation,age,shock index,and respiratory rate.CONCLUSION:Machine learning models such as XGBoost may be used for sepsis prediction using only a small amount of data conveniently collected in the ED triage stage.This may help reduce workload in the ED and warn medical workers against the risk of sepsis in advance.

Practice of Infection Prevention and Control Strategies in Risk Departments during the COVID-19 Epidemic

Objective: To explore the practice and application of infection prevention and control strategies in risk departments during the COVID-19 epidemic, and to formulate the infection prevention and control measures to provide advice and guidance in risk departments. Methods: According to the latest plan of diagnosis and treatment, prevention and control issued by the National Health Commission, expert advice and consensus, combined with the actual situation in our hospital, a series of infection prevention and control measures of COVID-19 in risk department was formulated. Results: During the epidemic period, the prevention and control measures of nine risk departments including emergency operation, anesthesiology, endoscopy center, blood purification center, otolaryngology, stomatology, medical imaging department, medical cosmetology department and pulmonary function room were established from six aspects, including pre-examination and screening, medical technology control, personnel management, personal protection, environmental disinfection, medical waste disposal, etc. Conclusion: During the epidemic period, the infection prevention and control strategy of risk departments is one of the key links to control the spread of the epidemic, and risk departments must pay attention to and strictly implement various infection prevention and control measures.

On the effect of pitch and yaw angles in oblique impacts of smallcaliber projectiles

A terminal ballistic analysis of the effects of 7.62 mm × 51 AP P80 rounds on inclined high-strength armor steel plates is the focus of the presented study.The findings of an instrumented ballistic testing combined with 3D advanced numerical simulations performed using the IMPETUS Afea? software yielded the conclusions.The experimental verification proved that slight differences in the pitch-andyaw angles of a projectile upon an impact caused different damage types to the projectile’s core.The residual velocities predicted numerically were close to the experimental values and the calculated core deviations were in satisfactory agreement with the experimental results.An extended matrix of the core deviation angles with combinations of pitch-and-yaw upon impact angles was subsequently built on the basis of the numerical study.The presented experimental and numerical investigation examined thoroughly the influence of the initial pitch and yaw angles on the after-perforation projectile’s performance.

Extension of Chemoprevention of Seasonal Malaria to Five Cycles and to Children from the Age of 6 to 9 Years in Africa: Analysis of Its Acceptability, Feasibility, Cost and Impact A Systematic Review

Introduction: Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) aims at preventing malaria in children during the high transmission season. It has been recommended by the WHO since 2013 for children from the age of 3-59 months. However, despite the impact of this intervention, a peak in the prevalence and incidence of malaria is observed in children from the age of 5-9 years. The aim of this study is to determine from the current literature the feasibility, impact and cost-effectiveness of extending SMC to five cycles and to older children. Methods: A litterature search of PubMed/Medline, NCBI and Google scholar identified 1333 articles. After reading the titles and abstracts by two authors, 24 articles were selected and submitted for full reading. Random control studies on the extension of SMC, malaria, feasibility of SMC, impact of SMC and cost-effectiveness of SMC were selected. A total of 16 articles were included for the qualitative synthesis after excluding 8 studies. Results: Following the summary of the evidence, we conclude that the extension is feasible but will be confronted with the unavailability of older children. The intervention period coincides with field work. SMC is effective in reducing the prevalence and incidence of malaria and the parasite density in children. The financial cost of administering SMC is lower than that of treating a child suffering from malaria. Conclusion: After analysing the information, it was found that the majority of the African population supports the extension of the SMC to the number of cycles and the age group in order to alleviate the high mortality and morbidity rates among children due to malaria.

The impact of maternal immune activation on the morphology and electrophysiological properties of postnatally-born neurons in the offspring

Pregnancy comes with a combination of physical changes and physiological immunosuppression that increases the susceptibility of women to pathogens and in turn,rises the prevalence of infectious diseases.

The impact of female sex hormones on cardiovascular disease:from mechanisms to hormone therapy

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality in women,yet it has not raised the awareness from the public.The pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease differs significantly between females and males concerning the effect of sex hormones.Estrogen and progestogen impact cardiovascular system through genomic and non-genomic effects.Before menopause,cardiovascular protective effects of estrogens have been well described.Progestogens were often used in combination with estrogens in hormone therapy.Fluctuations in sex hormone levels,particularly estrogen deficiency,were considered the specific risk factor in women’s cardiovascular disease.However,considerable heterogeneity in the impact of hormone therapy was observed in clinical trials.The heterogeneity is likely closely associated with factors such as the initial time,administration route,dosage,and formulation of hormone therapy.This review will delve into the pathogenesis and hormone therapy,summarizing the effect of female sex hormones on hypertension,pre-eclampsia,coronary heart disease,heart failure with preserved ejection fraction,and cardiovascular risk factors specific to women.

Study on damage mechanism and damage distribution of the rear plate under impact of debris cloud

The debris cloud generated by the hypervelocity impact(HVI)of orbiting space debris directly threatens the spacecraft.A full understanding of the damage mechanism of rear plate is useful for the optimal design of protective structures.In this study,the hypervelocity yaw impact of a cylindrical aluminum projectile on a double-layer aluminum plate is simulated by the FE-SPH adaptive method,and the damage process of the rear plate under the impact of the debris cloud is analyzed based on the debris cloud structure.The damage process can be divided into the main impact stage of the debris cloud and the structural response of the rear plate.The main impact stage lasts a short time and is the basis of the rear plate damage.In the stage of structure response,the continuous deformation and inertial motion of the rear plate dominate the perforation of the rear plate.We further analyze the damage mechanism and damage distribution characteristics of the rear plate in detail.Moreover,the connection between velocity space and position space of the debris cloud is established,which promotes the general analysis of the damage law of debris cloud.Based on the relationship,the features of typical damage areas are identified by the localized fine analysis.Both the cumulative effect and structural response cause the perforation of rear plate;in the non-perforated area,cratering by the impact of hazardous fragments is the main damage mode of the rear plate.

Effect of the Implementation of Emonc in the Reduction of Maternal Deaths in the Department of Collines from 2018 to 2022

Background: Maternal and neonatal mortality remains a public health problem in Benin. Each year, approximately 1500 maternal deaths and more than 12,000 newborn deaths are recorded there. In order to correct the situation, strategies such as the implementation of Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (EmONC) were initiated. Objective: Determine the rates of maternal deaths in EmONC centers in the Collines department from 2018 to 2022. Framework and Methods: The study took place in Benin precisely in the Collines department. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Data collection was carried out during the first two weeks of January 2023 and covered data from the 09 Basic Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care centers (BEMONC) and the Obstetric and Neonatal Care centers of Complete Emergency (CEmONC) of the Collines department from 2018 to 2022. An estimate of the ratios of maternal deaths occurring at the level of the EmONC centers of the Collines department from 2018-2022 was carried out followed by constructive suggestions. Results: During the five years (2018 to 2022), the Collines department recorded 42,582 live births with 148 maternal deaths, i.e. a ratio of 348 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. Between 2018 and 2022, the highest maternal death ratio was recorded in 2019, i.e. 425 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births for all EmONC centers and 607 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in EmONC centers. The highest maternal death ratio at the BEmONC center level was recorded in 2020, i.e. 129 maternal deaths per 100,000 births. Conclusion: These results suggest that despite the implementation of EmONC in the Collines department, maternal deaths have not decreased. To improve these outcomes for a reduction in maternal deaths, urgent action must be taken.

Comparing 11 early warning scores and three shock indices in early sepsis prediction in the emergency department

BACKGROUND:This study aimed to evaluate the discriminatory performance of 11 vital sign-based early warning scores(EWSs)and three shock indices in early sepsis prediction in the emergency department(ED).METHODS:We performed a retrospective study on consecutive adult patients with an infection over 3 months in a public ED in Hong Kong.The primary outcome was sepsis(Sepsis-3 definition)within 48 h of ED presentation.Using c-statistics and the DeLong test,we compared 11 EWSs,including the National Early Warning Score 2(NEWS2),Modified Early Warning Score,and Worthing Physiological Scoring System(WPS),etc.,and three shock indices(the shock index[SI],modified shock index[MSI],and diastolic shock index[DSI]),with Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome(SIRS)and quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment(qSOFA)in predicting the primary outcome,intensive care unit admission,and mortality at different time points.RESULTS:We analyzed 601 patients,of whom 166(27.6%)developed sepsis.NEWS2 had the highest point estimate(area under the receiver operating characteristic curve[AUROC]0.75,95%CI 0.70-0.79)and was significantly better than SIRS,qSOFA,other EWSs and shock indices,except WPS,at predicting the primary outcome.However,the pooled sensitivity and specificity of NEWS2≥5 for the prediction of sepsis were 0.45(95%CI 0.37-0.52)and 0.88(95%CI 0.85-0.91),respectively.The discriminatory performance of all EWSs and shock indices declined when used to predict mortality at a more remote time point.CONCLUSION:NEWS2 compared favorably with other EWSs and shock indices in early sepsis prediction but its low sensitivity at the usual cut-off point requires further modification for sepsis screening.

Effects of retained dry material on the impact,overflow and landing dynamics

During long-term operation,the performance of obstacles would be changed due to the material accumulating upslope the obstacle.However,the effects of retained material on impact,overflow and landing dynamics of granular flow have not yet been elucidated.To address this gap,physical flume tests and discrete element simulations are conducted considering a range of normalized deposition height h0/H from 0 to 1,where h0 and H represent the deposition height and obstacle height,respectively.An analytical model is modified to evaluate the flow velocity and flow depth after interacting with the retained materials,which further serve to calculate the peak impact force on the obstacle.Notably,the computed impact forces successfully predict the experimental results when a≥25°.In addition,the results indicate that a higher h0/H leads to a lower dynamic impact force,a greater landing distance L,and a larger landing coefficient Cr,where Cr is the ratio of slope-parallel component of landing velocity to flow velocity just before landing.Compared to the existing overflow model,the measured landing distance L is underestimated by up to 30%,and therefore it is insufficient for obstacle design when there is retained material.Moreover,the recommended Cr in current design practice is found to be nonconservative for estimating the landing velocity of geophysical flow.This study provides insightful scientific basis for designing obstacles with deposition.

Assessment of Satisfaction in the Reception and Emergency Department of a Health Center

Introduction The main objective of any healthcare establishment must be to ensure the quality of patient care and customer satisfaction. It is necessary to regularly assess patient satisfaction. The aim of this study was to assess the level of satisfaction of customers aged over 18 years attending the emergency department of the health center. Methodology This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study of patients aged 18 years and over, who attended the Samu Municipal emergency department between 02 and 30 May 2023. The satisfaction index was determined using the adapted 2009 SAPHORA-MCO questionnaire and the Likert satisfaction scale. Results A total of 400 patients were surveyed. The average age was 35 years, with a standard deviation of 14.7. Of those surveyed, 51% were women, 87% were educated, 50% lived in Grand Yoff and 59.5% were unemployed. Satisfaction levels linked to perception of the cost of care (72%), waiting time (64.3%), information given to patients (69.1%) and pain management (74 .5%) are fair. On the other hand, the levels of satisfaction linked to administrative procedures (82.5%), staff attitudes towards patients (84%), staff availability (86.4%), patient privacy (89.2%), general atmosphere (87.2%), staff competence (87.3%), and the effectiveness of care (89.4%) were satisfactory. The average waiting time was 38 minutes. However, 32% of patients waited less than 30 minutes and 92% less than an hour. The satisfaction index linked to administration and reception was 72.9% and 79.85%, respectively. The satisfaction index linked to the administration and technical quality of care is equal to 85.8% and 83.7%, respectively. The overall satisfaction index is equal to 80.6%;the level of satisfaction of users of the health structure is satisfactory. Conclusion Patient satisfaction is an essential part of quality care. Patient satisfaction must be based on effective communication from the healthcare team and the creation of a patient-caregiver relationship.